This year again, for the beginning of school, many volunteers with Operation BackPack gathered with joy at the United Steelworkers Centre to fill 2,000 backpacks for children in need.

The decade-old campaign initiated by ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada in Hamilton is now a joint effort with the United Steelworkers locals. Volunteers from Local 5328 and ArcelorMittal Hamilton East along with many partnering companies are also pitching in with the packing.

The 2022 campaign helped out about 2000 kids. It is estimate that approximately $64,000 was collected in order to acquire items such as ballpoint pens, binders, calculators, coloured pencils, graph paper, lunch bags, pencils, rulers, scissors and, of course, backpacks.

In the first year (2012) 92 backpacks were delivered to a few local schools.

Thanks to this tremendous outpouring of generosity, hundreds of our students in the community were able to start the school year off right!