Academy Sports + Outdoors Partners with French Toast and BEAR to Support 1,000 Houston-area Students During Back-to-School Season

Company hosted personalized shopping experience to set students up for success

KATY, Texas, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As families prepare for the school year and fall sports season, Academy Sports + Outdoors ("Academy" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: ASO) teamed up with leading school wear brand French Toast to provide 1,000 students from Houston-area non-profit organization BEAR, or BE A Resource, with school essentials to boost confidence and encourage excellence at school and in play.

On Tuesday, July 28, hundreds of Academy team members were joined by nearly 500 local elementary and middle school students from BEAR at corporate headquarters in Katy, TX, where the retailer hosted a back-to-school shopping event. Together, the children and employee volunteers picked out uniforms based on their district colors and dress code, socks, and their favorite sport ball.  This event is part of Academy's broader community giving efforts and is supported by an in-kind donation of more than $50,000 worth of products for BEAR's Back to School Program.

"At Academy Sports + Outdoors, we understand back-to-school can bring added stress and financial pressure for families with school-aged children, and we try to ease that burden by offering market-leading everyday value pricing, standout promotions, and investment in the communities we serve," said Meredith Klein, Vice President of Communications at Academy Sports + Outdoors. "We're proud to partner with French Toast and BEAR to impact our hometown community in a meaningful way to provide students with the resources they need to feel supported, be successful, and have fun this school year."

French Toast is committed to helping remove barriers so all kids from all walks of life can feel comfortable and confident focusing on their education and pursuing their passions beyond the classroom.

"Our mission is to help all kids shine," said Stephen Ashear, Division President of French Toast. "We recognize confidence starts with being prepared, so it is our hope that providing local youth with great schoolwear inspires and empowers their learning all year long."

This donation marks Academy's second annual back-to-school volunteer event. The company partnered with Operation Homefront in 2025 to fill 1,500 backpacks with essential school supplies for school-age military children across Texas and Louisiana. This year's partnership with BEAR reinforces the company's commitment to making a positive impact in the communities it serves.

"Every child deserves to feel secure and comfortable," said Tammy Hetmaniak, Executive Director of BEAR. "Through efforts during the back-to-school season, and with the help of generous partners like Academy Sports + Outdoors, we are able to provide school supplies and essential resources to more than 17,000 children who have experienced abuse, neglect or crisis each year across the Greater Houston area."

To learn more about how Academy is making a positive impact in the community, visit here.

About Academy Sports + Outdoors

Academy is a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States. Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to more than 300 stores across 21 states and counting. Academy's mission is to provide "Fun for All" and Academy fulfills this mission with a localized merchandising strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad range of consumers. Academy's product assortment focuses on key categories of outdoor, apparel, sports & recreation and footwear through both leading national brands and a portfolio of private label brands. For more information, visit www.academy.com.

About French Toast

French Toast is dedicated to making the best possible schoolwear accessible to ALL kids and ALL families from ALL walks of life. We are on a mission to help kids shine, whatever their passion, no matter the dress code, wherever they live or go to school. Since 1985, French Toast has been trusted by thousands of schools nationwide as their uniform provider and is committed to partnering with the communities we serve. French Toast works directly with our manufacturing partners in every step of the process, providing more value without sacrificing quality. For more information about becoming a French Toast partner school, visit https://www.frenchtoast.com/schools.

About BEAR...BE A Resource

BEAR is the only 501(c)(3) organization working with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and Harris County Resources for Children and Adults that offers unique programs – that provide not only the basic needs of children recently uprooted, but also supportive services that provide comfort, dignity, and celebration of successes that propel the child toward a successful future – for abused and neglected children. For more information, visit https://bearesourcehouston.org/ 

Academy Sports + Outdoors Media Contact: 

Brooke Fendley, Sr. Specialist External Communications, [email protected] 

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SOURCE Academy Sports + Outdoors