meet team bfl

We’re thrilled to announce the five participants running for Team BFL at the TCS 2023 New York City Marathon on November 5, 2023. Click our runners’ picture below to support their fundraising efforts! This year we are raising funds to train and provide a service animal to a veteran - read our full press release below.

thank you to our team sponsors

Backpacks For Life Named an Official Charity Partner of the

2023 TCS New York City Marathon

Jersey City, NJ, February 8, 2023—Backpacks For Life has been named an Official Charity Partner for the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, November 5. Backpacks For Life will be among more than 550 official charity partners providing thousands of runners the opportunity to run in the world’s biggest and boldest marathon.

The TCS New York City Marathon is one of the city’s most anticipated and iconic annual sporting events, attracting runners and spectators of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities from around the world. More than 50,000 runners are expected this year after the race returned to full capacity last year.

Backpacks For Life serves the homeless and at-risk veteran population by regularly distributing backpacks filled with daily and long-term essentials and resources. The Backpacks For Life team debuted its own backpack, The Bowery Pack, at the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon Expo. To date, Backpacks For Life has distributed over 10,000 backpacks in 30 states. This year’s runners will be supporting Backpacks For Life’s initiative to sponsor a service dog for a veteran and in memory of one of Backpacks For Life’s key volunteers, Blake Hinds, who passed away in early 2023. Backpacks For Life will be working with Rebuilding Warriors, a 501c3 providing service dogs to veterans, to both have the dog trained and placed with a veteran.

“This is truly a full circle moment for us to be participating in the TCS New York City Marathon, but this time as a charity partner. We had such an overwhelming amount of support from runners at the Expo back in 2018 when we revealed The Bowery Pack for the very first time,” said Alexa Modero, Executive Director, Backpacks For Life. “We’re honored to be recognized by New York Road Runners and to continue creating awareness around the challenges our veterans face and how we work with veterans to overcome them.”

“The TCS New York City Marathon is one of the most exciting days of the year and thanks to our incredible charity partners it is also one of the most impactful and purposeful sporting events in the world,” said Christine Burke, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, NYRR. “New York Road Runners is proud to support the Backpacks For Life team and the incredible impact they have made to their communities as they raise important funds to benefit the homeless and at-risk veteran community.” 

The NYRR Official Charity Partner Program offers an opportunity for nonprofit organizations to raise funds to support their missions and services. Participating charities can offer guaranteed entry to runners who fundraise on their behalf.

Since its inception in 2006, the TCS New York City Marathon Official Charity Partner Program has raised more than $440 million for more than 1,000 worthy nonprofit organizations across the globe. Prior to the start of the official program, the New York City Marathon had served as an outlet for individual philanthropic runners since the 1980s.

About Backpacks For Life (BFL)

Backpacks For Life’s mission is to provide a unique and personalized support system for homeless and at-risk veterans and their families. Backpacks For Life regularly distributes backpacks filled with daily and long-term essentials to veterans in shelters and on the streets as well as providing one-on-one personalized mentorship to at-risk veterans searching for resources, programs, and care that fits their needs. Backpacks For Life developed two backpacks to support veterans - The Bowery Pack and The Urban Pack. For each pack purchased, one is donated to a veteran through the backpack distribution program. Backpacks For Life also runs ROGER, an online search platform for the NJ veteran community to search for services by things such as zip code, branch of service and income.  To learn more, visit www.backpacksforlife.org and www.roger.vet

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, virtual races, community events, free youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features a wide population of runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.

Contact:

Backpacks For Life

Alexa Modero (c): 1-833-235-8387  (e): alexa@backpacksforlife.org