Three hundred backpacks filled with school supplies will be distributed to Buffalo students in grades K-8 on Saturday as part of the fifth annual Jonathan D. Daniels, MD, Memorial School Drive: The Next Generation of Transformational Leaders.

The event will take place Aug. 15 from 1-3 p.m. at the Frank E. Merriweather, Jr. Branch Library, 1324 Jefferson Ave., Buffalo. Students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to receive a backpack.

School supplies have been donated throughout the summer, and volunteers from the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will fill the backpacks with the donated supplies and distribute them to students on Saturday.

The annual drive honors Jonathan D. Daniels, MD, a beloved member of the Buffalo and Jacobs School communities who served as associate director of admissions at the Jacobs School and graduated from the school in 1998.

Daniels died in 2022, along with two of his adult daughters, Jordan and Jensen, in a fire at their North Buffalo home.

Before his death, Daniels had been working with his admissions team to organize a school supply drive aimed at providing children in underserved Buffalo neighborhoods with the tools they need to succeed in school. The annual memorial drive continues that work and honors his commitment to the community.

Co-chairs of the drive include Fred D. Archer, associate dean; Donna Ball, administrative assistant; David Freedman, assistant dean; and Laura Yusick, director of admissions, all with the Office of Medical Admissions at the Jacobs School. Emme Nylander of Buffalo OBGYN and a clinical instructor in the Jacobs School also serves as a co-chair. All are expected to attend Saturday’s event.