New York Cares Launches Third Annual Stand With Students Campaign To Support NYC Students And Families In-Need

As the back-to-school season begins, New York Cares will launch the third annual Stand with Students campaign from Harlem to Hollis.

An initiative that highlights the organization’s support for New York City students and schools during the 2022-2023 academic year.

This year’s campaign goal is $700,000. Fundraising efforts will focus on areas disproportionately affected by food insecurity and financial hardship, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in neighborhoods such as Central Queens, East Brooklyn and the South Bronx.

The campaign will support public school students with academic, social-emotional and supplemental programs that address the learning gap caused by COVID-19.

Beginning this month, New York Cares will host multiple backpack drives where volunteers will fill backpacks with essential school supplies that will be useful to families and students as they return to school.

Over 16,500 backpacks—7,500 of which are funded by the Amazin’ Mets Foundation—will be delivered to schools in need across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

Throughout the academic year, New York Cares’ corporate and community volunteers will support NYC students and community schools through book distributions, school revitalization projects, and education programs, as well as warm coat distributions in conjunction with the organization’s annual Coat Drive.

“The ongoing trauma of the pandemic has caused many of our city’s students to fall behind in key subjects like reading and mathematics,” said New York Cares Executive Director Sapreet K. Saluja. “We will support our city’s dedicated educators and administrators through high-impact education programs designed to help students reach their academic goals, as well as revitalization projects to build nurturing spaces for kids of all ages to grow.”

Stand with Students is chaired by Keith Grossman, President of TIME. Corporate sponsors participating in this year’s campaign include the Amazin’ Mets Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Delta, Assured Guaranty, Sunshine Foundation, and The Walt Disney Company.

New York Cares manages hundreds of year-round projects in elementary schools, assisting students with homework, math, reading and fitness goals. 

Last year, New York Cares served 45,000 children across in-person and virtual programs, distributed 10,000 coats to NYC Community Schools and provided 15,000 backpacks to students ahead of the school year. 

Since COVID-19 relief efforts started in March 2020, New York Cares has mobilized 135,000 volunteers for virtual and on-the-ground programs and helped provide more than 56,000,000 meals for individuals and families experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic.

All donations made during the Stand with Students campaign will support volunteer-led programs like tutoring sessions, career mentoring programs, and school revitalization projects.

To make a donation, start a fundraiser or volunteer please visit: http://www.newyorkcares.org/stand-with-students.

New York Cares

New York Cares is the largest volunteer network in the city. Last year, nearly 20,000 New Yorkers made the city a better place by volunteering in New York Cares programs at more than 600 nonprofits and schools – improving education, meeting immediate needs, and revitalizing public spaces.

For more information, visit newyorkcares.org.

Photo credit: New York Cares.