The local group 100 Black Men of Madison is holding its back to school picnic Saturday at Demetral Park.

VIDEO: Watch The Report

Backpacks filled with school supplies will be given away to help families prepare for the school year.

For many, school is just around the corner and while kids are looking forward to picking out new supplies, some parents are worried about how to fit that in their already stretched budget.

The back to school shopping list is long but with seemingly everything costing more this time around -- 100 Black Men of Madison said they hope their annual backpack giveaway will be a big help for the hundreds who depend on them.

It's the 12th year for the event and is scheduled for this Saturday.

The giveaway is a big deal not only for the backpacks full of everything children need for the year but because they're filled with things their parents now don't have to worry about buying.

It can cost parents several hundred dollars this time of year to get their children ready to go back to school and things like supplies can be lost in the money crunch shuffle.

"Children can't be ready if they don't have the supplies the first day so a lot of parents are making decisions around do I pay rent, do I pay utilities or do I buy school supplies, and often times school supplies loses out," said Wayne Canty, a member of the group. "So we want to make sure those children have the supplies they need so they are ready to start school on day one.

They are getting 1,500 backpacks together for the giveaway Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Demetral Park.

The event includes a back to school picnic, a chance to meet some UW football players, tour the Weinermobile and have a last little hurrah before classes begin for the fall.

There are two categories in the giveaway -- backpacks for elementary school kids and a bigger one, for middle school students.