Alexa, make me feel better about myself for spending money on smart-home devices when people are in need by donating a backpack full of school supplies to students.
Amazon announced an easy way for customers to support underprivileged students across the nation.
Simply say, “Alexa, donate to Happy School Year,” and once you confirm the order, Amazon will fill a backpack (worth up to $25) with basic school supplies and ship it directly to Communities in Schools (CIS), which provides resources for at-risk kids.
Each donation comes with a thank-you message from Shaquille O’Neal, a member of the CIS National Board.
“Alexa creates convenient time savers for busy customers and their families whether they are building a back-to-school shopping list, asking questions about products, purchasing items for their family, or making donations to the community,” Chuck Moore, vice president of Amazon Alexa, said in a statement. “We can’t wait to see the generosity of our customers this back-to-school season.”
For every backpack donates to Happy School Year via Alexa during the campaign (which ends Sept. 9), Amazon will donate pens, pencils, rulers, and notebooks to CIS—up to $200,000.
No Alexa? No problem.
Amazon is teaming up with Kazaam star* Shaq and Zappos for Good to host back-to-school donation events throughout the summer.
Five thousand Shaq-Packs—a backpack, supplies, shoes, and a T-shirt or hoodie—will be distributed across the country, thanks to contributions from Yoobi, Pentel, 3M, Hasbro, Panasonic, JVC, and AmazonBasics.
“Education is an important foundation for success,” O’Neal said. “With the Shaq-to-School program, we provide classroom essentials to kids who need them most, allowing them to concentrate on their studies.”
Singer Ciara will also host a Happy School Year block party, where guests can gift school supplies at an Alexa Donation Station. The event celebrates the start of a new school year, encouraging students to participate in activities like a healthy meal planning demonstration, backpack embroidery, and sneaker customization.
More on Geek.com:
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- Amazon Admits It Keeps Alexa Voice Recordings Indefinitely
- Alexa Guard Keeps U.S. Homes Safe From Fire, Intruders
* That’s what he’s most famous for, right?
