Community Wide Event Provides Essential Back To School Services

Many students hope to start a new school year with a new backpack and school supplies. At the 8th annual Back to School Community Resource Fair, they can get them for free.

“It makes my heart happy to know that we can help the community,” said Maria Davila with the TTCU Federal Credit Union. 

 “We know that we cannot do every single item on that list, but we want to help alleviate that need and the stress of going back to school,” said Mimi Martinez. She's an event organizer as well as the chair of the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations. 

Bags stuffed to the brim with school supplies line people’s arms as they make their way down a path of community organizations.

 “Many nonprofits are here to provide information about what they offer and access those resources,” said Martinez. 

 Martinez says each year the back-to-school event keeps growing because the need in the community keeps growing.

 “That's why we have wrap-around services here because it's not just the school supplies but it's things that are going on in families’ lives that impact students’ education,” she said. 

More than 6,000 families are at the back-to-school fair, and not just from TPS…the event is for the whole community.

“We have folks come from all over the area,” said Martinez. 

And community partners are rolling up their sleeves, so students don’t just leave with a bag of goodies, but also so they leave feeling prepared, confident and ready to learn.

“We want students to really embody that confidence going into the school year and also have the resources that they need to be successful this year,” said Martinez.