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Hundreds of families saved on school supplies Saturday at annual KCK Back to School and Health Fair
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The annual Back to School Health and Fair in Kansas City, Kansas, drew hundreds of families this weekend, offering free backpacks, school supplies, and sports physicals.
By:Marlon Martinez
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KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez covers Platte and Clay counties in Missouri. Email marlon.martinez@kshb.com with your story idea
—KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Hundreds of families turned out Saturday for the annual KCK School District’s Back to School Health and Fair
There were free backpacks, school supplies, sports physicals, and other health services available to get families ready for the start of the new school year
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Organizers said the event is designed to ease the financial pressure families face as they prepare for the classroom
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“Today is really a community-wide event to really ease the burden on families that are getting ready for school,” said Irene Caudillo executive director of the KCK Foundation For Excellence
For parent Brenda Poor, the savings were immediate and significant
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“The backpacks that they’re giving away, I mean, they can cost a parent anywhere from $20 to $50. There, that’s a huge savings,” Poor said
That financial relief comes as families nationwide continue to feel the weight of back-to-school spending. A consumer report from Scripps News found parents continue to stretch their budgets with back-to-school spending soaring to more than $550 per child
MarQuita Washington, who attended the fair with her daughter, said the timing of the event made a real difference
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“Thank God for me I only have one, but God bless the rest of the families that have to fend for more than one child, because it gets very expensive,” Washington said
Without the fair, Washington said her daughter would have started the new school year with last year’s backpack
“We’re honored that the school district has the funds and the, you know, re
Community partners said the event is about leveling the playing field before the first school bell rings
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“When they come here, at least our kids in the district know that they can come and they have those accessible rer parents are struggling to sometimes buy for them,” Maria Rios said.—
