Academy Sports + Outdoors and the Fayetteville Woodpeckers partnered to surprise 20 children with the Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland County with a $3,000 shopping spree ahead of the back-to-school season.

Each child received a $150 Academy gift card from the store to shop for all new sports gear and equipment, clothes, shoes and more. Woodpeckers’ mascot, Bunker, joined in to help them shop at the Skibo Road location.

The Woodpeckers also provided the Boys & Girls Club with tickets to a ball game at Segra Stadium.

Academy’s donation is one of several across its footprint to help deserving children get the essentials they need ahead of the school year.

Academy Sports + Outdoors is a 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 270 stores across 18 states including North Carolina.

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 outdoor apparel, sports and recreation and footwear through both leading national brands and a portfolio of private label brands. For more information, visit www.academy.com