Press Release from Office of the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools
RIVERSIDE – The Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) will host a Back-to-School Resource Fair at Harvest Christian Fellowship Church (6115 Arlington Drive, Riverside, CA 92504) from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, August 4, 2023. Students who attend the fair will receive new shoes, backpacks with school supplies, haircuts, physicals, eye exams, dental care, and more.
The Back-to-School Resource Fair intends to provide youth who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or in foster care, with everything they need to be ready for the first day of school by removing the barriers often caused by their situation. Free registration [registration is required] is available at events.rcoe.us/back-to-school-2023.
“Preparing for the first day of school can be a difficult challenge for families and students. The rising costs of school supplies and the expectations to prepare for a new year can be stressful. A sense of physical and emotional wellness, and even a new pair of shoes or a backpack, can help build confidence for students and set a positive tone for the rest of the school year,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “We are grateful for our partners who have donated to this event. Their generous contributions of services, supplies, and support, will help give our students the confidence to step into a new school year with higher levels of self-esteem and readiness to learn this school year.”
Soles4Shoes, a global non-profit dedicated to fighting the impact and perpetuation of poverty, has donated 1,250 pairs of shoes, and 4,000 pairs of socks. Soles4Shoes volunteers will be on-site in their pop-up “shoe store” working toward their goal of providing every homeless child with a new pair of shoes.
Kaiser Permanente conducted a backpack drive at their three Riverside County medical center locations. More than 1000 backpacks loaded with school supplies were received from employees, patients, and their vendors.
In addition, donations have been received from Sam’s Club, Supply Bank, Harvest Church, and In-N-Out.
Services will be provided by practitioners from Riverside University Health Systems, GeriSmiles, Vision2Learn, and cosmetology students from the Professional Institute of Beauty, and the Advance Beauty Techs Academy. In addition, more than 35 community agencies will be on hand to provide information to families and students.
For more information, contact the Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program (FYSCP) Unit at the Riverside County Office of Education at (951) 826-4700 or FYSCP@rcoe.us.
