DETROIT – Hundreds of families in Detroit kicked off the new school year Saturday with free backpacks, school supplies, haircuts and community resources — all just days before the first bell.
The event was held at the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, located off Trumbull Street, with 500 backpacks on hand for attendees. Hundreds of families pre-registered, while others simply showed up. It was first-come, first-served, with families picking up a ticket at the door.
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Community need drives event
The Back to School Fest was organized with donations and volunteers, giving families a last-minute lifeline before Detroit Public Schools begins classes Monday.
“It’s a need in the community — with inflation and just the stressors of daily life for our families, we wanted to take one little thing off of their plate,” said Chloe White, director of Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise at DHDC.
The event drew families from beyond Detroit’s city limits, a sign of how far word had spread.
“I don’t live in the city of Detroit, but I got a notification of this and I said we have to go,” said Coffei Pinkney, who brought her granddaughter. “Back to school fest — I mean, the name says it all, right?”
30 years of community support
DHDC Executive Director Miguel Rodriguez said the turnout reflects the deep roots the organization has built in Southwest Detroit over three decades.
“Southwest Detroit is really tight — a tight-knit community and folks came out to support us,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve been doing that for 30 years now and it’s just a reflection of Southwest Detroit and the tight-knit community that it is.”
For kids like Jazaria Brown, a rising fourth-grader, the day was simply hard to let go of.
“Yes, I don’t want this day to end,” Brown said.