Urban Life Center Prepares 300 Backpacks for Highlandtown Students Ahead of Back-to-School Season

The Urban Life Center, a ministry of the Chesapeake Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Baltimore, Maryland, prepared 300 backpacks on July 15 for distribution to families in the Highlandtown community ahead of the Back-to-School season.

The backpacks originated at the Chesapeake Conference’s Adventurer Family Weekend, held May 29–31 at Mt. Aetna Retreat Center in Hagerstown, Maryland, where Adventurer clubs and families collected 315 backpacks as part of a Sabbath School mission project in partnership with the Urban Life Center.

Cristina Macena, who has served as leader of the Urban Life Center for more than 5 years, is preparing the backpacks for distribution to students at Highlandtown Elementary/Middle Schools. The center served 250 students through the drive in 2025 and is aiming to reach even more students this year.

“There’s no better way to promote the Love of Jesus to those around us than by attending to our community’s needs. People need to know we can make a difference,” Macena said.

Community members can support the Back-to-School Drive by donating new backpacks and school supplies at the Urban Life Center, located at 3223 Eastern Ave in Baltimore.