D'Youville University Helps Local Students Start the School Year Ready to Learn

D'Youville University was proud to support 2 On Your Side's 2 Pack a Backpack campaign, helping ensure local students have the supplies they need to begin the school year with confidence.

On Friday morning, members of the D'Youville community delivered 200 backpacks to the Tops Markets location in Depew, believed to be the largest single backpack donation in the history of the program. The backpacks will be distributed through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo to families across Western New York before the first day of school. Since 2004, the annual campaign has provided more than 30,000 backpacks to local children.

For D'Youville, participating in the campaign was a natural extension of the university's mission to serve the community.

"One of our guiding principles at D'Youville is to never refuse to serve," said Jeff Matthews, Chief Marketing Officer. "When we learned about the opportunity to help local students and families, we knew we wanted to be involved. Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, and sometimes success begins with something as simple as having the supplies they need to start the school year."

As a sponsor of this year's campaign alongside 2 On Your Side, Tops Markets, First Student Inc., and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo, D'Youville joined organizations across Western New York committed to removing barriers to education and helping students start the school year prepared for success.

The donation reflects D'Youville's longstanding commitment to education and community engagement. While the university is known for preparing future healthcare professionals, business leaders, educators, and innovators, it also believes that supporting students begins long before they step onto a college campus.

D'Youville University thanks everyone who donated to this year's 2 Pack a Backpack campaign and the many community partners who continue to make the program a success for families throughout Western New York.