Back to School, Together: How Nashville Showed Up for MNPS Students and Teachers

Back-to-school season is one of the clearest examples of what is possible when Nashville’s community comes together around public education.

From July 23 through August 8, PENCIL supported 17 MNPS Back to School Bashes at every cluster high school, along with several specialty events. In total, 9,450 backpacks were stuffed and distributed, powered by 180 volunteers who contributed 420 hours.

PENCIL also partnered with Together 4 Teachers for a teacher appreciation event at GEODIS Park on July 31. Approximately 500 MNPS teachers attended, and PENCIL distributed 1,500 teacher bags, each containing approximately $50 worth of classroom supplies.

Through the DG PENCIL Box, educators continued receiving critical classroom resources throughout the summer. In August, 572 educators made shopping trips, with $191,107 in supplies distributed, supported by 170 volunteers who contributed 750 hours.

Supporting Community-Led Back-to-School Efforts

PENCIL also helped organizations across Nashville prepare for their own back-to-school events by procuring supplies:

  • Creative Girls Rock: 2,000 art-filled backpacks
  • Rogers Group: 120 stuffed backpacks
  • Charm Foundation: 200 backpacks
  • Hispanic Family Foundation: 3,000 students served; PENCIL provided a portion of supplies
  • United Way – Stuff the Bus: Approximately 7,000 MNPS students served; PENCIL provided a portion of supplies
  • Metro Office of Family Safety: Approximately 200 students served
  • H.E.R.O. Office at MNPS: 3,000 backpacks prepared for students throughout the school year
  • Deloitte: 500 stuffed backpacks distributed at McGavock High School

Each organization brought its own mission and community connections. PENCIL’s role was often behind the scenes: helping procure and distribute the supplies that made those efforts possible.

Back-to-school support is about more than putting supplies into a backpack. It is about helping students arrive prepared and welcomed—and making sure teachers have the resources they need.

Across MNPS Back to School Bashes, the DG PENCIL Box, Together 4 Teachers, Every Student Known Boxes, and community-led events throughout Nashville, PENCIL helped connect businesses, volunteers, educators, nonprofits, and schools to one another.

PENCIL is community support for public education in action.

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