Another COTS Back to School Bonanza in the books!

Children are often the unseen faces of homelessness, but they make up a large portion of people experiencing homelessness. In one night in 2026, 667 people experiencing homelessness were children (2026 PIT Count).

In 2015, COTS started the Back to School Drive to bring awareness to the children in our community experiencing homelessness, and to help them get the supplies they need to be successful in school. Each year since, the community helps us fill hundreds of backpacks with thousands of school supplies for us to distribute to families in shelters, motels, and to our nonprofit partners in the community who directly serve children.

In 2022 we wanted to serve students who are not necessarily connected to a service provider. We wanted to set them up for a successful year, both physically and emotionally. We wanted to maintain dignity. At a time in some of their lives where there isn’t a lot of choice, our goal was to let students be able to choose their own school supplies, pick out some clothing that starts them off on the right foot, and get haircuts to alleviate some of those first day jitters. The Back to School Bonanza was born. A free community event where any Vermont students, grades K-12, who are in need can come de-stress and have fun while they pick out school supplies and a backpack as well as first day of school outfits. 

For the fifth year running, we welcomed 575 family members from across our community! With your help, we were able to provide 362 students with new backpacks, school supplies, and first day of school clothing in an awesome, welcoming environment. This event creates a fun and dignified experience where families can receive high quality supplies, access valuable resources, make meaningful connections, and enjoy a stress-free day together as they prepare for the new school year. Our amazing community helped make this all possible:

- Stephen Mease captured beautiful family photos that you can view here.

- CV Lions offered vision screenings, providing an excellent and valuable service for families.

- Spectrum, STEPS, FERN Lab, Lund, and Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity connected with families.

- Feeding Champlain Valley kept everyone fueled with tacos and other delicious food.

- Fletcher Free Library and CLiF shared incredible new books with young readers.

- Susannah Graham, Rosemary, and Heidi Larocque provided fresh haircuts.

- Hair tinsel provided by Vermont Moms added a little extra sparkle!

- A bounce house kept kids jumping and laughing.

- Face painting brought even more smiles.

- DJ Amanda kept the music going and helped everyone stay up to date with announcements throughout the day.

- Magic brought lots of hands-on fun and, of course, a magnitude of WOWs!

- Texas Roadhouse brought their famous rolls and butter along with their wonderful Armadillo mascot!

- Emily’s Home Cooking kept everyone refreshed with lemonade and cookies.

- The Scoop ice cream truck arrived with an abundance of delicious flavors.

- Leonardo's Pizza donated pizzas to our wonderful volunteers!

- UVM Rescue was on hand and walking around throughout the event.

From vision screenings to haircuts, books to ice cream, magic to music, and backpacks to family portraits, this year's COTS Back to School Bonanza was a great success!

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor Northfield Savings Bank.

Thank you to our sponsors: Katie’s Kids Foundation, AstenJohnson, Bob’s Discount Furniture, and Vermont Tent Company.

Thank you to our donors, supporters, community partners, 50 volunteers, and our amazing COTS staff for making this event possible. Together, we are making sure students in our community start the school year feeling prepared, confident, and celebrated.