Backpack Project Hosts Event Supporting Homeless Veterans

The Backpack Project hosted its signature Homeless Heroes Day (HHD) event on Friday, Nov. 15, in Atlanta. Now in its seventh year, Homeless Heroes Day is the largest annual fundraiser for The Backpack Project, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the unhoused community across the Southeast with essential supplies.

Homeless Heroes Day uniquely focuses on serving Atlanta’s veteran population experiencing homelessness. The event brought together The Backpack Project’s corporate partners, who packed backpacks filled with food, toiletries, and other essentials, fostering community engagement and hands-on support for those in need.

The Backpack Project Inc., is a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Athens, Ga., that was founded by Zack Leitz in 2015. Leitz, a Jewish University of Georgia student from Atlanta, decided to start the Backpack Project after seeing how many homeless people were in downtown Athens.

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This year, The Backpack Project distributed more than 1,300 backpacks to unhoused veterans and other Atlantans. Since its founding in 2015, the organization has delivered more than 20,000 supply-filled backpacks to people in need across the coasts in Atlanta, Athens, Augusta, Savannah, Durham, Charleston, and Los Angeles.

Homeless Heroes Day 2024 took place at the Westside Warehouse in Atlanta. For more information on The Backpack Project’s work and how to get involved, visit thebackpackproject.ngo.