Now in its 10th year, NCJW NY has hosted the Back 2 School Store (B2SS) in early August since 2015. This three-day event transforms our community center, known as Council House, into a very special pop-up department store, where underserved children from all areas of NYC come to “shop” for brand new clothes, including warm winter parkas, tops, bottoms, shoes, and socks as well as a new backpack, school supplies, and an age-appropriate reference book, entirely free of charge. But the B2SS is about more than providing new clothes and school supplies. It’s about a transformative experience designed to help children feel prepared and excited for the upcoming school year.

Children can shop and select for themselves everything they need to go back to school. We believe that choice is empowering, and expressing one’s personal style is meaningful to children. These are elements of back-to-school preparation that more affluent children and families take for granted.