Backpack Team

Loading BoxesDaggett Shuler Attorneys at Law and the Winston-Salem Police Department spent Monday morning delivering essential school supplies to local elementary schools with their 11th Annual Back-to-School Backpack Program.

A team including David Daggett and Griff Shuler, Police Chief William Penn, Interim Superintendent Catty Moore, and more visited Brunson, Bolton, Moore, South Fork, and Whitaker elementary schools to drop off a total of 250 backpacks. Each backpack came with a pencil pouch, a notebook, earbuds, a two-pocket folder, pencils, glue, scissors, and crayons. School leaders will give the backpacks to students who need them to make sure everyone is able to start the new school year on the right foot this week.

DeliveryDaggett feels that students who come to school without everything they need at socioeconomically diverse schools are at undue risk of not only performing worse in the classroom, but suffering from social stigma as well. That’s why the backpacks are available in several stylish designs and have no identifying markings, making it easy for them to blend in. Students who benefit from the program can worry less about fitting in and focus on learning.

“Simply giving a young person the tools that they need to get started can literally change their life,” Daggett said. “If we can get them started on the right path, we can positively influence the future of that young person, which then positively influences the future of our community as a whole.”

Thank you!Since its inception, the Back-to-School Backpack Program has distributed over 2,500 backpacks to local students. Interim Superintendent Moore says that making sure every student succeeds is a whole-community effort that depends on programs like these, which are run by local partners who care about contributing to the district’s mission. Entering the 2025-26 school year with this volume of support is a great way to kick off another year of learning.

“The need that has been mentioned is real, and how we come together and meet that need is the most important work that we do,” Moore said. “This is how we get stuff done. This is what makes Winston-Salem great.”