SAN JOSE, Calif. – It is back-to-school time and over 94 host businesses and organizations have teamed up with Resource Area For Teachers (RAFT) and the Family Giving Tree to provide over 6,000 local at-risk children with new backpacks and supplies for the upcoming school year. Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union, San Jose Mercury News, Parsley Sage Rosemary & Thyme, NEC Electronics, and Lockheed Martin sponsored the program. In just two days over 100 volunteers helped fill backpacks with new school supplies and distribute them to such organizations as Child Advocates, City Team Ministries, Emergency Housing Consortium, Inn Vision, Project Stepping Stone, Santa Clara County Office of Education, St. Vincent de Paul, and Sunday Friends. Technology Credit Union also participated in the event. "It is worth so much to see the gratitude from a child receiving a new backpack. Our volunteers recognize that education plays a critical role in a child's long-term success. By providing a child with a good start to the school year, these volunteers can make a difference," said Gail Hallenbeck, director of development.