TAMPA, Fla. -- Raymond James Stadium will be invaded Saturday by parents and kids receiving backpacks and school supplies as the Bullard Family Foundation presents Back to School Bash 2024.

Hometown great Thaddeus Bullard, also known as WWE’s iconic Titus O’Neil, and his team prepared for the big event days ahead.

What You Need To Know

  •  Bullard Family Foundation presents 2024 Back to School Bash at Raymond James Stadium

  •  Hundreds of families expected to attended the school supplies giveaway

  •  The event will offer more than 30,000 backpacks with supplies and other medical, dental and vision services before school starts

They are feeling good about this year and will be making thousands of Bay area families feel good as well.

"That idea turns seven years later into the largest Back to School Bash in the country,” said Bullard. “And we like to say we do things big in Tampa Bay."

The volunteers gathered over several days last week to get backpacks ready. They stuffed them with the school essentials such as pencils, glue sticks, notebooks, and folders. The Big Backpack Build happened at Tampa’s Sligh Middle School—ahead of the Bullard Back to School Bash.

Longtime volunteer Tramaine Whittey said it takes a village of helpers to get everything ready.

“So, it’s everyone coming together as one big great community as it should be,” said Whittey.

Whittey started volunteering at the Bullard Family Foundation event since 2018.

He said it is about more than just the 30,000-plus bookbags they are giving away.

“We’re looking to provide dental services,” he said. “We have eye and vision services. We also have medical activation where you can get a physical that you will need to play sports and get back to school.”

Bullard huddled a group of volunteers during the backpack build to get them pumped up for the big show. He explained what makes him feel good about what he called the biggest Back to School Bash in the country.

“The thing that makes me feel the best is when I go through the eye exams and I see the young kids picking out their eyeglasses knowing that ten minutes after getting their eye exams they’ll be getting a brand-new pair of eyeglasses,” Bullard said.

The vision services are part of a very personal story for him.

He wants today’s youth to avoid the tough times he went through growing up.

“You know my mom didn’t have the money to repair them,” said Bullard. “So, I either had to wear broken glasses or not wear them at all.”

Tramaine said the event builds community and is sure to be the place to be in Tampa Bay.

“You see the smiles that we put on a kid’s face,” he said. “There’s entertainment as far as kids face painting, there’s music, there’s dancing there’s giveaways, there’s various things that come and you get to see friends that you haven’t seen since school has been let out. So, we’re providing all the things they need to transition to get ready to get back to school.”

And the event hopes to help kick off the school year in the best way for students and teachers.