Yad B’Yad, a Chabad-Lubavitch organization dedicated to assisting poverty-stricken families in Israel with badly-needed school supplies, has launched its annual backpack drive in advance of the new school year.

At an event last week, director Rabbi Yaakov Gloiberman secured the support of Israel’s national basketball team, whose members signed several backpacks in front of cameras at Tel Aviv’s Nokia stadium.

Proceeds from the sale of the autographed backpacks will help underwrite the distribution campaign, which Gloiberman said would give thousands of students free school supplies.