Bemidji families can get free backpacks at Verizon giveaway

Free backpacks will be handed out at BeMobile Verizon’s Bemidji store at 119 Paul Bunyan Drive NW, Suite C, when the 13th annual BeMobile Backpack Giveaway returns July 21-23. The store will be one of more than 100 participating locations in the first year the program has reached that many sites, and backpacks will go first-come, first-served while supplies last.

BeMobile said more than 8,000 backpacks filled with school supplies will be distributed across participating stores. Every guest who stops at a participating location during the event dates can also enter for a chance to win a $200 back-to-school shopping spree, and no purchase will be necessary.

For Bemidji households balancing summer bills with the start of a new school year, a free backpack can trim one more line from the August budget. The National Retail Federation said 55% of back-to-school and college shoppers had already started buying items in early July, while 86% still had at least half of their purchases left to complete. The group also put average spending for K-12 families at $874.68 on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics, including $141.62 for school supplies alone, with total back-to-school spending expected to reach $38.8 billion in 2026.

The Bemidji location sits on Paul Bunyan Drive NW, and Verizon lists its hours as 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce places the store at the corner of Paul Bunyan Drive and Bemidji Avenue, giving north-side and central Bemidji families a local pickup point instead of a longer drive to find assistance.

BeMobile has expanded the giveaway well beyond a single store promotion. The company gave away 4,000 backpacks in 2024, and this year’s total climbs to more than 8,000 across the chain, a sign that demand for basic school supplies remains high as families move through the last stretch of summer shopping.