BROOKLYN, NY — Family Health Centers at NYU Langone marked another year of its back-to-school drive with a large distribution of backpacks, school supplies and community resources for children in Brooklyn and Long Island. At an Aug. 26 event in Brooklyn, more than 1,000 backpacks and supply kits were handed out to local children as families also connected with health services and other support.
The effort has become a familiar late-summer tradition for the health system, which says it has helped families prepare for the new school year for nearly two decades. Organizers said the drive is meant to ease the financial pressure that often comes with long school supply lists while also bringing families into contact with services that can support health and well-being throughout the year.
How the Brooklyn event combined school supplies with health access
The Brooklyn gathering was built around more than backpacks. Families who attended could visit nearly 40 booths offering health screenings, information, children’s entertainment and activities for adults. The booths were staffed by the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, community-based organizations and city agencies.
Among the agencies present were the New York City Fire Department and the Department of Transportation. The event also included demonstrations and other resources designed to make the day feel useful and welcoming for both children and parents. NYU Langone leaders said the approach helps meet families where they are, especially at a time when many are balancing school expenses with everyday household costs.
Fundraising exceeded the center’s goal by more than $10,000
This year’s drive also benefited from strong fundraising support. The Family Health Centers at NYU Langone said it surpassed its $128,000 goal, bringing in more than $138,000 to cover backpacks and school supplies for children returning to class.
Leaders said that support matters because many families face strain from the cost of lengthy supply lists. Larry K. McReynolds, executive director of the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, said the drive is about more than a giveaway and reflects a long-running effort to help children feel prepared and excited for school. He added that it also creates another way for the organization to connect neighbors with resources that can support their health throughout the year.
Long Island sites joined the effort with their own backpack distributions
The back-to-school work extended well beyond Brooklyn. NYU Langone said backpacks were also distributed to children at pediatric locations across Long Island, including NYU Langone Huntington Medical Group, NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island Pediatric Center and NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk.
Those site-based distributions were part of the same broader effort to give children the supplies they need before classes begin. By spreading the program across several locations, the health system said it could reach families in different communities and make the support more accessible to patients already receiving care through its network.
Westbury event added another school-supply giveaway near Long Island Hospital
In Westbury, near NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, the health system joined a larger back-to-school event with local and regional partners. The program was organized in partnership with New York State Senator Siela Bynoe, Nassau County Legislator Viviana L. Russell, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association.
That event provided students with essential school supplies before the start of the new school year. NYU Langone also worked with Angels of Long Island, a Patchogue nonprofit, to deliver backpacks and supplies to families in the communities served by NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk, widening the reach of the seasonal effort beyond a single neighborhood.
Families found a tradition built around health and community connection
At NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island Pediatric Center, the annual backpack giveaway has become something families look forward to each year, according to Gabriela Oliveira, the practice manager at the center. She said more than 185 backpacks were distributed during the event there, and the remaining donated backpacks were shared with patients in the weeks that followed.
Organizers say the drive supports more than the first day of school. The Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, one of the nation’s largest federally qualified health center networks, provides primary, specialty, behavioral health and dental care for adults and children in Brooklyn. It also connects families with social services and programs intended to address barriers to care and support needs beyond the exam room.
NYU Langone’s broader mission runs through the seasonal giveaway
Health system leaders framed the drive as part of a larger commitment to the neighborhoods they serve. The event brought together NYU Langone executives, trustees, health partners, community organizations and local officials in support of neighborhood families, underscoring the amount of coordination behind the seasonal outreach.
The organization describes NYU Langone Health as a fully integrated health system with inpatient locations, outpatient centers, a cancer center and medical schools in Manhattan and on Long Island. But for families taking home backpacks, organizers said the immediate goal was simpler: help children start school prepared, while making it easier for parents to connect with services that can make a difference all year long.
