Alexa lets you donate backpacks full of supplies to kids in need
Amazon will send them to a non-profit for distribution.
The new school year is almost upon us and as always, there are families who could use some help with school supplies. With its latest charity initiative, Amazon will let you donate a backpack to a student in need with a simple Alexa command.
When you tell your smart speaker or another connected device, "Alexa, donate to Happy School Year," Amazon will take you through the ordering process for a $25 backpack for a kid who could really use one. Amazon will then match up to $200,000 of donations with supplies such as pencils, pens, rulers and notebooks. It'll then ship the items to the non-profit Communities In Schools, which will distribute them.
The tax-deductible backpack donations will be available until September 9th. Those who do donate one will hear a thank you message through Alexa from Shaquille O'Neal, a Communities in Schools national board of directors member. Amazon and Zappos for Good also teamed up with O'Neal for back-to-school donation events over the summer to bring supplies to thousands of kids in need.
The charity drive expands on some other Amazon giving efforts through Alexa. Since April last year, Amazon customers have been able to make donations to charities via the voice assistant.
