Backpacks That Open Doors on the Coastside

Holy Family Episcopal Church Is Helping Local Students Start the School Year Prepared, Confident, and Ready to Learn

Watch this video and join us in celebrating the impact of this program and the brighter futures it’s helping create for Coastside children.

“We are deeply grateful for the support of the Episcopal Impact Fund. Their grant helps ensure that hundreds of Coastside children start the school year with the tools they need to learn and thrive. By strengthening this backpack program, we are not just giving out supplies — we are affirming every child’s dignity and promise, and living out our call to serve our neighbors in Christ’s name.” —Vicar Amber Evans, Holy Family Episcopal Church, Half Moon Bay

At Episcopal Impact Fund, we believe that access to education begins with meeting basic needs. That’s why we are proud to support Holy Family Episcopal Church’s Coastside Community School Backpack Program in Half Moon Bay. For nearly 30 years, this ministry has provided new backpacks filled with essential, teacher-requested school supplies to Coastside students whose families are facing financial hardship—helping children arrive at school with confidence, dignity, and the tools they need to succeed.

Our grant helped offset the significant cost of this effort, which serves more than 450 students each year across Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Moss Beach, and Montara. In partnership with Coastside Hope, local school districts, and dozens of community groups, Holy Family identifies students most in need and ensures each backpack is thoughtfully assembled to support learning from day one.

What inspires us most is how this program reflects the values we seek to advance across the Bay Area: neighbors caring for neighbors, communities working together, and churches serving as anchors of hope.

We are proud to support Holy Family's backpack drive and recognizing their commitment to their neighbors.

Together, we’re investing in the education of youth in the Bay Area.