Monday, July 14, 2025

One-Click Charity Drives Friends In Deed’s Back-to-School Push for Educational Equity

Friends In Deed, a 131-year-old Pasadena nonprofit, is leveraging Amazon wishlists to accelerate community giving for its annual Back-to-School backpack and supply drive. The organization hopes to distribute 400 complete kits to students from local low-income families by August 9, with priority access for food pantry clients on August 2.

After launching their digital call for donations on June 10, Friends In Deed saw Amazon deliveries start to arrive within 24 hours—a shift Food Pantry Program Director Tim Nistler calls “pretty quick” and a rewarding indicator of strong community engagement.

The deadline for donating backpacks is August 1, while school supplies must be received by July 25, Nistler said.

Distribution will occur at 444 E. Washington Blvd. during the first two Saturdays in August, with Thursday, Friday and Saturday collection times available in July.

The dual-distribution model prioritizes food pantry families before opening to the broader public, a structure intended to balance accessibility with resource availability.

The nonprofit’s Amazon wishlist offers an immediate way for donors to contribute items such as sturdy backpacks, pencils, notebooks, highlighters and headphones—avoiding, Nistler said, red or blue backpacks due to school safety concerns.

High-priority supply needs include paper products like spiral notebooks, composition books (wide and college ruled), and filler paper for three-ring binders, along with rulers and pens.

While the Amazon wishlist has driven immediate donations, Friends In Deed hopes for group collections from churches, schools and businesses in the coming weeks—traditional channels that consistently help meet the annual goal.

“Our annual ‘Back-To-School’ event is our most important Food Pantry event of the year,” said Executive Director Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater, who joined the organization in 2017. “Making sure that the young students in our community can start the year on an equal footing with their classmates is critical.”

The program, which distributed over 400 backpacks in 2024, reflects the organization’s evolving strategy in combining digital and traditional charitable approaches. In fiscal year 2024, Friends In Deed recorded 29,331 client visits, served 2,959 unique households and distributed 800,595 pounds of food—highlighting the scale of its outreach beyond school supplies.

Nistler said empathy-driven giving remains central: “If you always liked having a nice backpack, donate a backpack.”

Founded in 1894 as an interfaith initiative, Friends In Deed now serves more than 600 households weekly through its food pantry and was recognized as the 2021 California Nonprofit of the Year for Senate District 25.

Donors can view and contribute via the Amazon wishlist by clicking here.

For questions, contact Tim Nistler at timn@friendsindeedpas.org or call (626) 797-6072.