ICNA Relief provides backpacks, food to local families

, and Romulus Sklavos, Special to the Citizen

August 4, 2026 . 11:08 AM

2 min read

ICNA Relief provided backpacks and food to 100 local students Aug. 1 at its Lafayette Avenue location in Lakeside. (Romulus Sklavos for the Henrico Citizen)

As volunteers put the finishing touches on decorations on the morning of Aug. 1, hanging balloons outside ICNA Relief’s Henrico office in Lakeside, a line of a few dozen parents and children had already formed, waiting to receive backpacks, school supplies and bags of groceries ahead of the new school year.

The nonprofit’s annual Back2School event provided enough backpacks for 100 local students while also distributing food, helping ease some of the financial strain that often comes with the start of a new school year.

For Sarah, one of the parents who attended the event, the assistance arrived at a critical time.

“My husband lost his job and has had some health problems, and being able to get them backpacks is fantastic,” she said.

In addition to school supplies, Sarah left with a full bag of groceries for her family, consisting of three teenagers.

Sarah said her family had previously received assistance from ICNA Relief during a school distribution at Quioccasin Middle School.

The event is part of ICNA Relief's nationwide Back2School program, which began in 2008 and has distributed more than 1 million backpacks to children and families in need. This year, the organization plans to provide 30,000 backpacks at more than 45 locations across the country.

“We do it annually, typically in August, September just for kids to be able to go to school prepared without having to worry about the financial restraint of buying school supplies,” said Basit Khan, outreach coordinator for ICNA Relief.

Khan said many of the organizations’ clients are immigrants, refugees and lower-income families who may already be facing food insecurity or other financial challenges. To reach those families, ICNA Relief partners with local mosques and Henrico County Public Schools to spread the word about its programs.

Another attendee, Kamaluddin, said he appreciated seeing children receive the supplies they need before classes begin.

“I feel good because the kids are getting supplies for back to school,” he said. “It’s good for us.”

While the backpack giveaway marks the start of the school year, Khan said ICNA Relief’s work continues year-round through food pantry distributions, health fairs and refugee services.

ICNA Relief will host another food distribution and backpack giveaway Aug. 8 at Rolfe Middle School in Varina. (Courtesy ICNA Relief)

The organization also plans another backpack and food distribution Aug. 8 at John Rolfe Middle School in Varina; it will run from 11 a.m. to noon, or until supplies run out, and is open to the public.

The ICNA's Henrico office was established in 2021 after volunteers spent the COVID-19 pandemic distributing food packages from a local mosque to families struggling through the crisis. As the need continued to grow, the organization opened a permanent location that now serves as the hub for many of its services.

“The majority of our clients now come here for assistance,” Khan said.