CELEBRATING 21 YEARS!
Connect with Women’s Way:
program@uw-fh.org to reach UWFH staff
Blooming Backpacks 2026
Our Blooming Backpacks drive is here! Add to our school supply collection and celebrate 21 years of Women’s Way by joining us at our event.
Blooming Backpacks 2026 Collection Event
Tuesday, August 4th, 2026 @ 4:30 - 6:00 PM
Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Conference Rooms A & B
164 High St., Greenfield, MA 01301
Light refreshments will be served and partners will say a few words.
RSVP for our August 4th collection event at:
What is Blooming Backpacks?
By providing free backpacks filled with essential school supplies, the annual Women’s Way Blooming Backpacks initiative helps take an expense off of families’ plates, and guarantees that students can begin the school year confidently and equipped with important learning tools.
Trusted United Way partner agencies, focused on child and family programming, directly distribute the backpacks collected to students in need throughout Franklin County. In 2026, these organizations will include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western MA, the Mary Lyon Foundation, Community Action’s Family Center and Youth Programs, the Heartwing Center, and the United Arc.
Women’s Way has provided hundreds of backpacks to local families each year since 2005. Thanks to the region’s generosity, our 2025 Blooming Backpacks drive supplied more than 350 filled backpacks, 420 books, and over $1,300 toward additional school supplies for our local students. Will you help us top those totals in 2026?
How can I help?
Spread the word! Tell your friends, family, and neighbors about Blooming Backpacks. Share our posts on social media, and forward emails about the event.
Join us at our August 4th event and bring along a new backpack filled with school supplies to donate. For suggestions of what to include, take a look at our Packing List. Please label your backpacks by grade level so we can get your gift to the best-fit student! Enjoy some light refreshments and chat with Women’s Way members and others partnering in our communities to support local students.
UWFH Diaper Drive
This year, you can also support the UWFH Diaper Bank by bringing packages of diapers to the Blooming Backpacks event. This is part of the annual UWFH Diaper Drive, which runs through the month of August.
Can’t make it to the event?
Donate easily online. 100% of donations go toward additional school supplies:
You are also welcome to give via check made out to UWFH with “Blooming Backpacks” noted in the memo. Please send checks to PO Box 123, Northampton, MA 01061.
Drop off donations at our 51 Davis St., Greenfield office through Monday, August 3rd. Please reach out to program@uw-fh.org for best times to come by. Our office is located on the right side of the building in Suite #2. Look for the United Way sign in the window!
Thanks to The United Arc for their added support in the planning, marketing, and execution of this year’s Blooming Backpacks event!
Blooming Backpacks in the News
The Greenfield Recorder, 8/8/25: “In 21st year, Blooming Backpacks drive gathers 337 backpacks, greatly exceeding 2024 collection”
The Greenfield Recorder, 7/25/25: “Blooming Backpacks drive ends Aug. 5”
WWLP, 7/8/25: “Greenfield Cooperative Bank holds school supply drive for students in need” - Thanks to GCB for supporting Blooming Backpacks!
Supper for Six 2026
THANK YOU to all who gave so generously to the Women's Way Supper for Six 2026 food drive. From all that was collected, more than 450 local students and their families were able to enjoy a filling dinner (plus a few more!) over February school vacation in 2026.
This was made possible with the help of our community partners: individuals, organizations, businesses, and volunteers who helped gather food and donations, spread the word, and distributed these basic need items out to our neighbors.
Many thanks to our 2026 event sponsor: Greenfield Savings Bank!
Trusted United Way partner agencies distributed donated bags to students and their families through their programming, including:
Supper for Six 2026 in the News + Event Photos
The Greenfield Recorder, 2/17/2026: “Women’s Way sees boost in support during Supper for Six donation drive”
The Greenfield Recorder, 2/6/2026: ”22nd annual Supper for Six food drive draws near”
Wanda Mooney, 2/3/2026: “Supper for Six 2026: Supporting Local Families Through Community Giving”
About Women’s Way
Formed in 2005 by a group of local women who wanted a hands-on way to drive change in Franklin County, Women’s Way is an integral part of United Way.
Women’s Way fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in Franklin County. We are a diverse, vibrant community, bound together by a powerful sense of belonging — to each other, to the organization’s mission, and to the communities we call home.
Each year Women’s Way hosts two signature events: Supper for Six, which helps cover the food gap many families deal with during the February school break, and Blooming Backpacks, a school supply drive to make sure every student is ready for the new school year.
In 2016, Women’s Way recognized adequate access to oral healthcare as a persistent issue for our community and hosted its first oral health drive. In 2017, Women’s Way partnered with the Community Health Center of Franklin County to provide free basic dental check-ups and insurance enrollments.
Interested in Igniting Change with Women’s Way?
Email: program@uw-fh.org
You can find Women’s Way on Facebook, as well!
Why Engage?
You’ll be a part of a community of like-minded women who contribute their personal passions, best ideas, and unique strengths to the mission of building stronger communities.
Volunteer within our community alongside others looking to create change.
Network and collaborate with key business and community leaders at exclusive events.
Learn more about critical issues impacting our community.
Advocate for key community issues at the local and state level.