KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI) — Thousands of Knox County students will receive free school supplies Friday as Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs hosts the eighth and final SchoolMania event at Chilhowee Park.
The annual back-to-school giveaway will take place from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., or until supplies are exhausted, in the parking lot of the Jacob Building. Organizers say this year’s event will be the largest in SchoolMania’s history.
Thanks to contributions from local businesses, churches, charities, and community partners, officials plan to distribute 6,500 backpacks and 6,500 school supply bags to students preparing for the upcoming school year.
Each school supply bag contains more than $70 worth of essential classroom materials, helping families offset rising back-to-school costs.
Mayor Jacobs said the 2026 event marks a major milestone for the program.
“I am excited that for the first time in the event’s history, we are also able to provide every student served through SchoolMania with a backpack on top of the school supply bag,” Jacobs said.
SchoolMania has become one of Knox County’s signature community outreach events, providing free educational supplies to families across the county. As Jacobs prepares to host his final SchoolMania as mayor, organizers say community support has made it possible to expand the program to serve more students than ever before.
This year’s presenting sponsors include the East Tennessee Foundation, Ole Ben Franklin Motors, Best Buy Metals, Greenheck Group, Ice Bears Foundation, Target, and Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville.
Drivers attending the event should enter Chilhowee Park at 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive and follow the designated one-way traffic route through the distribution area before exiting onto Magnolia Avenue.
Event gates will open at 2 p.m., but the distribution of supplies will not begin until 3 p.m.
In addition to Friday’s SchoolMania event, several faith-based organizations will hold similar school supply giveaways across Knox County on July 23 and July 25 as part of the county’s School Supply Slam initiative.
More information about additional giveaway locations is available at knoxcounty.org/school-supply-slam.
