ORLANDO, Fla. – Though it was a hot Saturday, more than 2,000 people lined up outside the J.B Callahan Community Center in Orlando for City Commissioner Regina Hill's "Back to School" Celebration hosted for the fifth year in a row.
The event, which was held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. hosted families and their kids who walked through the community center meeting vendors, picking up free school supplies and more just in time for the first day of school Monday morning.
"These little kids aren't forgotten about and can go back to school with their heads held high not feeling lesser than because they don't have some of those extra things," Hill said.
Hill said she the event wouldn't have happened without the help of community stakeholders. Orlando City Soccer and Orlando Magic both provided 500 backpacks each. A1 Orange donated 6,000 socks and undergarments for kids to have and Second Harvest Food Bank sent food home with families. Lee Wesley also supplied food and Adidas and Nike donated discounted shoes, according to Hill.
"I cannot do this without great support for community stakeholders," Hill said.
Dozens of other stakeholders were out Saturday, all of them to help not only the students at school, but the parents at home, as well.
"I'm going through a lot," grandmother Nina Turner said. "Transitioning through jobs and other personal things on top of that; it's a really big help to me."