With support from Meijer, the Detroit Tigers Foundation again partnered with The Children's Center to sponsor the annual Back to School Backpack Bazaar, presented by Meijer and the Tigers Foundation, on Aug. 20. The event provided 2,000 backpacks and school supplies to clients, families and communities served by The Children's Center.
This year's Bazaar ran alongside The Children's Center's Health and Wellness Fair, giving families access to school supplies and community health resources in one stop. The 2,000 backpacks were split among elementary (750), middle school (750) and high school (500) students, and each came stocked with essential school supplies, including a Tigers Foundation x Meijer co-branded pencil bag. In total, Meijer donated nearly 50,000 items this year, adding disinfectant wipes, deodorant and feminine hygiene products to the usual lineup of classroom supplies.
Leading up to the distribution date, colleagues from Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, Meijer and The Children's Center helped stuff backpacks at The Children's Center on July 31, Aug. 5 and Aug. 18 to prepare for the 2026-27 school year.
For Jay Wagoner of Meijer's Community Affairs and Public Communications team, this year marked the third time the retailer has partnered with the Tigers on the Bazaar.
"I volunteer based on Fred Meijer's philosophy to give back to the communities that we are in," Wagoner said. "It is important to support the communities that support us."
"Volunteering is part of the DNA of the Detroit Tigers," said Detroit Tigers Foundation director Shannon Lapsley. "This community means so much to us. They come and show up for the team while we're on the field, so we are going to show up for them off the field."
The partnership between the Tigers Foundation, Meijer and The Children's Center has now delivered 5,500 backpacks since it began, with Desiree Jennings, President and CEO of The Children's Center, noting the group is "well on our way to 10,000."
For the families who attended, the day was about more than school supplies. Ella Satterfield, a grandmother of four who relies on The Children's Center, said the event takes a weight off her shoulders every year.
"Thank you, Meijer. Thank you, Tigers," Satterfield said. "Me and my family appreciate it."