Grace on Display
“Is it all free? Are you sure?” a mom, three kids in tow, asked as she looked at the final tents being set up and the food trucks arriving at our TenTen center.
“Yes,” I replied, and at that moment, I saw relief and gratitude in her eyes. I realized that this event was not just about supplies but about providing a much-needed support system for our community. The joy and relief on her face, and the faces of many others who attended, were powerful testaments to the emotional impact of our event.
Our event was a joyous respite when parents and kids could forget their worries and enjoy themselves for a few hours. We saw children’s faces light up as they received their new school supplies, parents breathing a sigh of relief as they got their kids’ haircuts for free, and families bonding over a meal together.
Our primary goal for our Back to School Resource Fair is not only to give out free school supplies, hygiene products, haircuts, and food but also to have families in the Northeast neighborhood and beyond meet organizations that provide a strong safety net for the entire family for the whole school year. Our partners, including Canopy Credit Union, Whitworth University, CHAS Health, Teen and Kid Closet, Girls Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, played a crucial role in providing information on after-school programs, financial coaching, clothing education, physicals, and healthcare resources. Our barbers and stylists were able to connect to their community and give free haircuts, something often overlooked in having kids ready for the school year. Our food partners, Tacos Camargo, Skewers, and Chik-Fil-A, were able to provide nutritious meals to at-risk families. Spokane Eats promoted our event to the community in a way that we could never reach them. All our partners’ support and dedication were instrumental in our event’s success.
We ultimately provided over 400 students with their back-to-school supplies and hygiene products, 75 free haircuts, and fed well over 700 people, several of whom also got extra for dinner later that night and food for the next day. These numbers represent the tangible impact we had on the lives of our community members.
This day, of course, underscores the crucial need for partners in our community. We certainly could not do it all, and to meet our mission of empowering urban youth and breaking the cycle of poverty, we desperately need like-minded partners to provide ongoing support in the form of financial contributions, volunteer hours, and in-kind donations. Your contributions are not just helpful; they are vital to our mission.
Perhaps most importantly, we received support behind the scenes. Awaken Church, Better Health Together, Baxter HomeTeam, CertaPro Spokane, Shiloh Hills Church, Summit Church, Whitworth University School of Continuing Studies, Washington Trust Bank, and many private donors gave out of their abundance to impact lives.
Grace was on display that day. Relationships were built, and our community experienced true flourishing that can only happen when we unite to lift the vulnerable. It was a day of unity, where everyone, from community members to partners, came together for a common cause, reinforcing our shared purpose and sense of belonging.
