New York City students joined WPIX-TV weatherman Mr. G for the Coalition for the Homeless’ sixth annual backpack giveaway co-sponsored by the UFT on Sept. 19. The giveaway, held at the coalition’s lower Manhattan offices, was the culminating event of the group’s summer backpack drive, Project: Back to School, which began in July. The UFT, which has partnered on the drive since 2009, donated more than 3,000 book bags — chock full of pens, pencils, notebooks, binders, markers, crayons and other age-appropriate supplies — to this year’s effort. UFT President Michael Mulgrew praised the work of the coalition, which he said the union is very happy to support. “Teachers know better than almost anyone else the grinding effect that poverty and homelessness have on our youth,” Mulgrew said. “We see it firsthand every day in our classrooms, and we have a moral obligation to do what we can to alleviate it.” Marisa Butler, the coordinator of operations and development at the coalition, credited the UFT with helping the drive reach a record number of donations this year. The number has increased every year, she said, but this year more than 5,000 backpacks were donated, almost 2,000 more than were donated last year. “Every year the UFT has provided crucial support to the drive,” she said. “It really helps us out. We love working with the UFT very, very much.”