Family Giving Tree Has Given 2 Million Bay Area Residents a Reason to Smile

For 31 years, FGT has filled backpacks and granted holiday wishes for Bay Area kids in poverty. Here's what they need — and why in-kind giving makes the difference.

One in three Bay Area school-age children comes from a family where school supplies are not guaranteed at the start of the year. For these kids — whose parents are working full-time jobs that still don't cover the gap between rent and a $25 backpack — the first day of school is not an exciting moment. It is a moment that marks them as different. Family Giving Tree has been fixing that moment since 1990. What started as a San Jose State MBA project to bring holiday gifts to 300 children in East Palo Alto has grown into one of the Bay Area's most impactful nonprofit organizations: 2 million individuals served, 500+ partner agencies and schools, and the specific, item-level model that makes every gift feel personal. Givelink, a Transparent Giving Platform that connects donors to verified U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofits with photo proof of delivery, partners with Family Giving Tree to give donors the photo confirmation that closes the loop on a gift that changed a child's first day of school. Here is the full picture.

Key Takeaways

• Family Giving Tree has served over 2 million Bay Area residents since 1990 (FGT data, 2025).
• 25,000+ backpacks distributed annually to K-12 students in Title 1 schools across 14 Bay Area counties.
• 1 in 3 Bay Area school children comes from a family where school supplies are not guaranteed (FGT data, 2025).
• FGT is a Charity Navigator 4-star rated organization — one of the highest-rated in the Bay Area.
• Givelink donors give 60% more times per year than traditional platform donors (Givelink data, 2026).

What FGT does — the two drives that move the Bay Area

Family Giving Tree operates two major annual programs.

The Back-to-School Drive provides new, grade-appropriate backpacks filled with school supplies to K-12 students whose schools qualify as 75%+ socioeconomically disadvantaged on the California School Dashboard. The goal for 2026-2027: 35,000 students served. Last year, 25,000+ backpacks were distributed.

The Holiday Wish Drive fulfills the specific, stated wish of a child, adult experiencing homelessness, or senior living in poverty — a doll, a ball, a board game, a specific book they asked for. Not a generic gift. The exact thing they wished for.

Both programs are built around a principle that Givelink shares: specific giving is more powerful than general giving. A child who receives the exact backpack with the grade-appropriate supplies — not a random assortment — starts school feeling ready, not stigmatized.

"If we can track a package, we should track impact."

FGT tracks every backpack to every school. Givelink closes the loop with a photo. The donor sees the backpack arrive.

What FGT needs from donors right now

Program	Items Needed	Who They Reach
Back-to-School	New backpacks (all grades), notebooks, pencils, scissors	35,000 Bay Area K-12 students
Back-to-School	Colored pencils, glue sticks, rulers, folders	Elementary and middle school students
Back-to-School	Calculators, binders, highlighters	High school students
Holiday Wish	Specific wished-for toys, games, books (via wishlist)	Children, homeless adults, seniors
Operations	Packing tape, labels, boxes, volunteer supplies	Warehouse and distribution logistics

Why this matters in 2026

Inflation has pushed school supply costs up significantly — the average cost to fully supply a K-12 student for a school year increased 22% between 2022 and 2025 (National Retail Federation, 2025). For families already at or below poverty level, this increase is functionally impossible to absorb. FGT's 2026-2027 drive is targeting 35,000 students — an increase from last year — because the need is growing faster than the supply.

Givelink in action with Family Giving Tree

A donor in Sunnyvale gave three fully stocked backpacks through Givelink to FGT's Back-to-School Drive. Two weeks later, a photo arrived: the backpacks labeled and sorted on FGT's warehouse shelves alongside hundreds of others, ready for distribution to partner schools. She gave again for the Holiday Wish Drive. Browse Family Giving Tree's wishlist on Givelink and give a Bay Area student a better first day of school.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Family Giving Tree need most from donors?

FGT's highest-demand items are new backpacks (all grades), grade-appropriate school supplies (notebooks, pencils, folders, calculators), and specific holiday gift items for their Wish Drive program.

How do I donate backpacks to Family Giving Tree?

Through Givelink, you can browse FGT's live wishlist, select specific items (individual backpacks, supply sets), and receive photo-confirmed delivery when goods arrive at FGT's Milpitas warehouse.

Is Family Giving Tree a legitimate nonprofit?

Yes. FGT is a verified 501(c)(3) Charity Navigator 4-star rated organization (one of the Bay Area's highest-rated nonprofits) that has operated since 1990. Their Givelink profile displays independent evaluation data.

Give a Bay Area kid a backpack that arrives with a photo

Browse Family Giving Tree's wishlist on Givelink and give a student something they'll carry to school on their first day.

Stay Human.

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Antonis Politis is CEO and Co-Founder of Givelink.