How the Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin helped Raleigh-area kids go back to school
The Raleigh Dream Center’s Back2School Bash, providing backpacks and other school supplies to those in need, created a long line and some happy faces Saturday.
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin, along with his wife Kylie and their two children, patiently stood and handed out thousands of free backpacks for hours. Slavin seemingly had a smile and word or two for everyone, and often was asked to pose for a photo or selfie.
Two young Canes fans stood in line to see Slavin. They were just for the photo opt with one of their favorite players, not for backpacks. So it went.
“There’s so much to it but at the foundation of it, it’s just sharing the love of Christ,” Slavin said of the event. “It’s awesome to partner with the Raleigh Dream Center and partner in what they’re doing and in how they’ve helped the community out in so many ways over the course of the past 11 year being a presence here in Raleigh.”
Jeremy Porras, co-founder and executive director of Raleigh Dream Center, said Saturday’s event was funded in large part by the Slavins. And it was not the first time they’ve offered help to the Christian-based, volunteer-driven organization that has been in Raleigh offering social services and community programs since 2014, when Porras and his wife moved from Los Angeles.
“We started from scratch here, with food out of the trunk of our car, giving to the community,” Porras said. “We went from the food out of the trunk to 125,000 pounds of food a month that goes throughout the county.”
Porras said he and his wife first met the Slavins at Summit Church in Raleigh and their relationship grew through their faith and friendship.
“They genuinely love and care about the community,” Porras said.
“They helped us fund a house,” Porras said. “One of our (four) addiction recovery homes was built by the Slavin family. I dropped the idea of a Back2School Bash and his family said yes.”
Porras said 3,000 backpacks were prepared for Saturday and that all would be distributed as families prepare for a new school year. The children also received free supplies such as crayons, pens and pencils.
And hot dogs. Porras said 6,000 dogs were there for the taking.
The Hurricanes Foundation collected more than 6,000 school supplies from fans during their annual school supply drive in July. It donated the supplies to the Raleigh Dream Center and to the WakeEd Partnership: Tools4Schools, which provides teachers in the Wake County Public School System with free school supplies for their classrooms.
Slavin, who soon will start his 11th NHL season, has used his stature in the league to create a platform to help others. The Slavins in November 2023 announced they had partnered with International Justice Mission (IJM), a global organization that protects people in poverty from violence and modern slavery, to launch “Fight for Freedom,” a non-profit devoted to ending child online exploitation and trafficking in the Philippines.
The Slavins said a Fight for Freedom goal was to raise $1 million, and said they would match up to $500,000 in donations.
The Back2School Bash on Saturday in the parking lots of New Hope Baptist Church included carnival festival rides and games. The Hurricanes had a slap-shot booth, allowing fans of any age a chance to whack a puck.
There were threatening skies and a chance of rain but everyone — and all the supplies — stayed dry.
“We were praying,” Porras said, smiling.
This story was originally published August 2, 2025 at 4:06 PM.
