As the great, Baltimore-raised jazz singer Billie Holiday once sang, “Empty pockets don’t ever make the grade … God bless the child that’s got his own.”
The Attman family-owned Acme Paper & Supply Co. recently donated hundreds of backpacks to mid-Atlantic schools and organizations. The backpacks — along with the school supplies provided inside of the bags — will benefit more than 500 students across the region.

Founded in 1946 in Baltimore by Edward and Mildred Attman, Acme Paper is the mid-Atlantic region’s leading supply and distribution company, Headquartered in Jessup, the company works closely with restaurants, health care facilities, educational institutions, hotels, stadiums and others.
Now in its third generation of ownership, Acme provides food service packaging, food service equipment, kitchen design, disinfection products and systems, among other products and services.
The backpacks were donated to Billie Holiday Elementary School in West Baltimore, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, D.C., and Backpack Buddies in Richmond, Virginia. The donations will help students in need come prepared for the first day of school.
“At Acme Paper, giving back has always been a huge part of our philosophy. It is truly our pleasure to support the communities that we serve,” said Ronald M. Attman, the company’s co-chief executive officer. “This donation is just another in many the steps we plan to take to help better the mid-Atlantic region.”

In addition to its continued support of local schools and students, Acme Paper has donated its time, talents and dollars to myriad charitable organizations across the country. Among the company’s beneficiaries are numerous health care institutions, the Maryland Food Bank, the Food Bank of Delaware, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Feed More Virginia, and local and national charitable organizations.
“On behalf of everyone at Billie Holiday Elementary School, we thank Acme Paper for their generous donation and support of our students,” said James Dendinger, principal of the school. “They are a tremendous partner and have constantly shown their willingness to help in the community any way that they can. This donation of backpacks and school supplies will make a true difference in the lives of many students at Billie Holiday and elsewhere.”
