WOTW 9/8/20 WOTW 9/8/20

Back to School Drive

Back-to-School Drive: A Celebration of Growth

At CASA Essex, we believe that being prepared is powerful. When children in foster care show up to school equipped with the supplies they need, they can focus on learning, growing, and thriving — just like their peers. Over the past five years, our Back-to-School Drive has grown into a community tradition, ensuring that year after year, our youth walk into classrooms ready to succeed.

This year, thanks to the extraordinary support of donors and community partners, more than 500 foster youth in Essex County started the school year prepared and confident — with backpacks full of supplies and the knowledge that their community believes in them.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to this effort. Your generosity not only provided essential school supplies but also gave our children the dignity and encouragement they deserve as they step into the classroom.

Check out our archive of pictures below to see CASA advocates picking up supplies and preparing to deliver them directly to the children they serve, making this year’s Back-to-School Drive a tremendous success.

Together, we are building momentum for the next five years — and beyond.

Pictures 2025

PICTURES 2024

2023 Pictures

2022 Pictures

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2021 Pictures

2020 Pictures

WOTW 5/13/20 WOTW 5/13/20

Holiday Toy Drive

Holiday Gift Drive 2025

Thanks to the generosity of all of our donors for the Holiday Gift Drive this year, the holiday season was brighter, warmer, and more meaningful for the children and youth served by CASA for Children of Essex County. For many of the youth we serve, the holidays are a difficult reminder of loss and instability. T

We are grateful for our donors this year:

Amazon, O’Toole Scrivo Law Firm, Atlantic Health West Orange Office, Black Prosecutors Association of New Jersey, Bright Horizons, Cleveland Street School, Emeka Okafor, HUB Group Trucking, ILA 1233, Jack and Jill of Greater Essex, Jaime Hukkanen, Karoline Castro, Keyla Oliveira, Psi Pi Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., at Seton Hall University, Lauren Taibi, Livingston High School, Mary Millea, Michell Ruggiero, Michelle Tempkin, NJIT, Panasonic, Ramona Ross, Saint Michael’s School, Driscoll Foods, Spelman Alumane, Stephaniee Ramirez, Sunita and Ravi Naresh, Newark Tech, The Divine Healers Church NJ, Tracy Friedman, Wendy’s, & YogaSix.

Thanks to them, we were able to transform the holiday season into one of comfort, dignity, and joy for so many of the children we serve. Each gift represented -thoughtfulness, community, and hope. Whether it was a warm hoodie, a gift card offering choice and independence, or a special item selected, it was just for them. We are so humbled to have been able to make this possible for our youth.

On behalf of CASA Essex’s staff, volunteers, and most importantly, the children and youth we serve, we want to give a warm thank you to our 2025 holiday gift donors for stepping-up and making a difference. They represent the very best of our community and remind us that when people come together with compassion, lives are changed.