A Summer of Showing Up: Neighborhood Survants Continues to SURV More and Give More
By Neighborhood Survants
This summer, Neighborhood Survants continued a simple but powerful commitment: show up for our communities.
From back-to-school resources and youth programming to neighborhood events, community partnerships, and disaster relief, the past few months have been filled with opportunities to serve, connect, and remind our neighbors that they are not alone.
At the center of the summer was the 3rd Annual Dena Community Backpack Giveaway, held Sunday, August 2 at Rose Bowl Stadium in partnership with the Rose Bowl and Project Passion.
5,000 Students. One Incredible Community.
This year, the Dena Community Backpack Giveaway supported 5,000 students as they prepared to head back to school.
But the day was about much more than backpacks.
It was about creating a space where families could come together, access resources, connect with community organizations, and feel supported. It was about giving students something they could carry into a new school year while also reminding them that there are people in their corner.
What began years ago as a small backpack giveaway serving a few hundred students at Jackie Robinson Park has continued to grow.
Neighborhood Survants officially launched in 2019, building on years of community service and a commitment to meeting people where they are. When the COVID-19 pandemic changed how communities could gather, the organization adapted, transforming the giveaway into a drive-through distribution rather than stopping service.
Over the years, the event continued to grow, eventually making its way to the Rose Bowl.
And while the numbers have changed, the mission has remained the same: serve more, give more, and keep showing up.
Surviving Our Community, One Backpack at a Time
The Rose Bowl event was just one part of something even bigger.
Through the Backpack Marathon, Neighborhood Survants worked alongside organizations, schools, businesses, and community leaders throughout Altadena, Pasadena, and beyond to help distribute more than 6,000 backpacks to students.
Community partners included CHIRLA, PACTL, Project Passion and the Rose Bowl, Pasadena Police Department, Honey Bunz, Carter High School, Good2Go Donuts and Car Show, The Neighborhood Orchestra and CD14, The Neighborhood, Lena Kennedy, Boys & Girls Club, United in Peace, Learning Works, LegacyLand, and the EFC Survivor Store.
Every backpack represented more than school supplies.
It represented a student being encouraged, a family receiving support, and a community choosing to invest in its future.
It Takes a Community
None of this happens alone.
The success of this summer's work was made possible by volunteers who gave their time, donors who gave resources, sponsors who invested in the mission, partner organizations who opened their doors, vendors who helped bring events to life, and community members who simply showed up.
Neighborhood Survants is especially grateful to the partners who helped make this year's backpack efforts possible, including Lutheran World Relief, Baby2Baby, DayOne, and CCF.
From the people working behind the scenes to the volunteers greeting families and helping distribute supplies, every helping hand mattered.
A Summer Filled With Service
The Backpack Giveaway may have been one of the biggest moments of the summer, but it was far from the only one.
Neighborhood Survants also spent the summer supporting community gatherings and programs including National Night Out, PACTL's back-to-school event, Boyle Heights community events, the Community Corner unveiling with Juicy Little Society, Get It Together's back-to-school event, Harambe's Dena Back-to-School Wellness event, We Mind Youth Mental Health Advocacy Day, youth art programming, Youth Café, youth sleepaway camp, and the Beacon Housing Pickleball Tournament.
Each event looked different.
The purpose was the same: connect people to resources, create opportunities, and strengthen community.
SURV More. Give More.
As we move into September, Neighborhood Survants is continuing that spirit through our monthly theme:
SURV More. Give More.
One of the programs at the heart of this effort is the EFC Survivor Store, operated in partnership with the Eaton Fire Collaborative. The Survivor Store provides essential household items and resources to families impacted by the Eaton Fire.
This month, we are asking our community to help us keep the shelves stocked and build a steady supply of resources for the next three months.
You can support the EFC Survivor Store by purchasing items from our Amazon Wishlist or by making a larger donation.
Amazon Wishlist:
Investing in What's Next
Neighborhood Survants is also proud to continue investing in young people through the SURV'd Scholarships program.
In partnership with Starbucks and CCF, seven students from Altadena and Pasadena will receive $1,000 scholarships to support their continued education.
For us, giving back isn't only about meeting immediate needs.
It's also about investing in what comes next.
The Work Continues
A backpack giveaway ends when the last backpack is handed out.
An event ends when the last table is packed up.
But community work doesn't end there.
The relationships built, resources shared, opportunities created, and people supported throughout the summer are part of something much bigger.
Neighborhood Survants will continue looking for ways to serve, collaborate, and respond to the needs of our communities.
Because this is what it means to SURV More. Give More.
One student. One family. One neighborhood. One community at a time.
And we couldn't do it without you.
Thank you for continuing to show up.
Neighborhood Survants
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