College is proud to announce the third annual Backpack Give Back Event to be held on campus Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020, 10 a.m.-noon. Backpacks filled with school supplies for families will be given away free of charge. Registration for the event is strongly encouraged.  According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the coronavirus pandemic could push back-to-school spending to a record high average of $789.49 per family as students prepare for at-home learning, up from $571 in 2019.  Preparing for hybrid classroom and remote instruction, combined with the need for personal protective equipment, such as masks, families nationwide are expected to spend $33.9 billion, up from $29.2 billion last year and breaking the 2012 record of $30.2 billion, according to NRF data.  To distribute the filled backpacks, Triton College is partnering with West40 ISC #2, an Intermediate Service Center that serves 38 school districts, 152 schools and about 95,000 students in West Cook County.  Interested families are encouraged to register at www.triton.edu/backpack, but it is not a requirement. Backpacks will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.