Cradles to Crayons-Chicago’s (C2C) second annual Community Backpack-A-Thon is underway. C2C’s Backpack-A-Thon is a local event that brings together community members to pack school supplies into thousands of backpacks for local children. After last year’s event sold out quickly, the family-friendly volunteer event is returning Saturday, July 11, at the Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory, 2500 W. Bradley Place, Chicago, with both a morning and afternoon shift. The event supports C2C’s Ready for Learning initiative, which aims to provide 80,000 filled backpacks at no cost to Chicagoland children for the upcoming school year. For tickets and registration, visit https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/chicago/event/community-backpack-a-thon-chicago-2026/