Kathy Phifer from the CSU School is Cool Backpack Program presented an over view of their efforts to make sure that all students have the necessary material that they need to have a successful year regardless of their economic status. For the 2019-2020 school year, they gave out 2614 backpacks at 51 schools using the $51,000 donated to the program. Each backpack contains the appropriate material for the particular grade level. Each backpack contains anywhere from $75 to $150 worth of material, depending on the grade. With the help of the CSU Bookstore, each pack costs only $25 for the pack and material.
The program started in 1991, with 60 backpacks and 5 schools.