The Salvation Army of Greater Green Bay equips students for back to school

GREEN BAY – Families were lined up outside the Salvation Army of Greater Green Bay’s Kroc Center on Tuesday waiting to get into the third annual One Stop School Shop, a free event providing backpacks, school supplies and other essentials to local students as they prepare for the upcoming school year.

“We know that it’s a big need,” said Brown County Coordinator Major Catherine Fitzgerald. “People are worried about making sure they’re ready for school on day one, so we get them set up… School time is a real pinch for families to get everything done and not skip paying a bill or something like that. It’s a way that we can support kids and it’s a way that we can support parents.”

This year, One Stop School Shop prepared to serve 3,000 Brown County students in grades K–12, giving children the opportunity to “shop” for a backpack and age-appropriate school supplies.

“The kids are so excited to pick out their backpack,” Fitzgerald said. “They want to get just the right one and they want to fill it up with all the good stuff. They’re just so excited.”

In addition to back-to-school essentials, families had access to a Resource Fair coordinated by Howe Community Resource Center aimed at connecting families with local organizations and information about programs and services available to support them throughout the year.

“One Stop School Shop is about more than putting pencils and notebooks into the hands of students, it’s about helping children walk into school feeling prepared and ready to learn,” said Samantha Warden, social services director for The Salvation Army of Greater Green Bay. “We are incredibly grateful for the businesses, organizations, donors and volunteers who have come together to help us provide that strong start for thousands of local students.”

The 2026 event also marked the beginning of a new chapter for One Stop School Shop with the Salvation Army of Greater Green Bay assuming the role of lead organizer after the dissolution of Service League of Green Bay in 2025.

One Stop School Shop is made possible through the generosity of event sponsors, businesses and community members who hosted supply drives or donated backpacks and school supplies, as well as the many volunteers who give their time to make the event possible.

Supplies leftover after the event are donated to the Green Bay Area Public School District to be distributed to students in need.