Duluth Elks Giveaway Backpacks for the Start of School Year

The Duluth Elk Lodge hosts their 7th annual carnival of backpacks.

DULUTH, Minn.- With school just around the corner, many families are making their rounds getting everything ready for their kids to start the year out strong, and the Duluth Elks are doing what they can to help out.

For seven years the Duluth Elk Lodge has been lifting a financial burden off of hundreds of family’s backs with something as simple as a backpack.

This year’s carnival of backpacks was at Laura MacArthur Elementary School.

Students pre–school through 12th grade could come play games and pick out their very own bag to wear for the school year. They could then fill their bag with all kinds of supplies, from tissues to pencils and notebooks.

“It’s a huge financial burden to all people. It’s about 75 to 100 dollars for each parent to fill a backpack, so if we can eliminate some of that for them, we’d love it,” Duluth Elks 133 coordinator Nancy Udovich said.

Kari Kokotovich is getting ready for the 4th grade. She picked out a pink and purple cheetah backpack with her mom’s help.

“It means a lot to me, especially being a single mom, there’s not a lot of money. So it means a lot that she gets free stuff like a backpack, Kleenex,” Kari’s mother Amy Kokotovich said.

The Duluth Elks are always looking for people to help out with their events to give back to kids and veterans in the Northland.

This year’s backpack carnival went to helping almost 200 families.