1,500 free backpacks with supplies to be given out in North Long Beach
The back-to-school event will take place Saturday and include a backpack giveaway, haircuts, and more.
North Long Beach's Community Resource Center will host a back-to-school event Saturday with a free backpack giveaway, free haircuts and more for students of all ages.
The community event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but supplies are limited so it's recommended that you arrive early to secure one of the 1,500 backpacks. No pre-registration is needed. The backpacks will be stuffed with school supplies like notebooks, pens and pencils.
The L.A. Care Health Plan and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan Community Resource Centers partnered to host similar events across Los Angeles County this summer. Similar events are slated across the region Aug. 1-3, 9 and 17, according to Blue Shield.
The initiative began in 2019. It will have given away 99,000 backpacks to L.A. County students by the end of this summer, the organization said.*
In addition to the backpacks, students can receive free haircuts, enjoy rock climbing, face painting and a photo booth. A live DJ will perform and fruit cups and aguas frescas will be provided.
“Academic excellence and creating peace of mind for students starts by empowering them with the right school supplies, yet we know that for many families the back-to-school season may bring added stress due to financial challenges,” Kristen Cerf, Blue Shield Promise president and CEO, said in a statement.
The Long Beach Community Resource Center, which opened in June 2023, provides residents assistance year-round, including cooking classes, dental screenings, child supervision, dance classes, a food pantry and more.
The Long Beach Community Resource Center is at 5599 Atlantic Avenue.
*This paragraph has been clarified to show how many backpacks have been given away.
