Tarrant County College and Community Link food bank are preparing to help approximately 2,000 in-need children return to school. From 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11, TCC Northwest will host Community Link’s Back-to-School Bash, which provides supplies and services for children in northwest Tarrant County. Area families also are invited to shop in the Community Food Market, a farmer’s market-style experience available at no cost.
The Back-to-School Bash is open to families who meet income guidelines and live in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw, Lake Worth or Castleberry school districts. Children will receive backpacks, school supplies, books, haircuts, vision screenings and glasses and medical and dental checkups. In addition, the event will include free food and entertainment. The Community Food Market will feature a variety of fresh meats and produce.
The need is great; more than 11,000 children in Community Link’s service area are at risk of hunger. In all of Tarrant County, more than 113,000 children live in poverty, while more than 130,000 experience food instability. According to a survey conducted for the financial literacy nonprofit Junior Achievement, 60 percent of U.S. parents struggle to pay for their school supplies.
“Every child deserves access to the supplies and services they need to be successful at school,” said Lisa Benedetti, dean of the Humanities Division at TCC Northwest. “We are proud to work alongside Community Link and other partners to give students in Tarrant County the foundation for a great year.”
This is Community Link’s 12th annual Back-to-School Bash and TCC’s third year to host the event.
“We started this program by providing the essentials to a small number of children. Today, with partners like TCC, we can offer a comprehensive support system to kids across the area,” said Lara Gay, associate director of Community Link.
The Back-to-School Bash participants must pre-register on the Community Link website. For more information, contact Gay at LaraGay@community-link.org or 817-847-4554. Other sponsors include the City of Saginaw, Saginaw Fire Department, Effie Center, Northwest YMCA and Walmart.
The Community Food Market is open to all, and pre-registration is not necessary. TCC Northwest holds the Community Food Market on a monthly basis. Future shopping opportunities will be held on the following dates:
- Friday, Sept. 21, 2018
- Friday, Oct. 19, 2018
- Friday, Nov. 16, 2018
- Friday, Dec. 7, 2018
- Friday, Jan. 18, 2019
- Friday, Feb. 15, 2019
- Friday, March 22, 2019
- Friday, April 19, 2019
- Thursday, May 16, 2019
- Thursday, June 20, 2019
- Thursday, July 18, 2019
- Saturday, August 10, 2019
Families are responsible for bringing their own bags and wagons to transport items. For more information on the Community Food Market, contact Benedetti at lisa.benedetti@tccd.edu or 817-515-7781.
TCC Northwest is served by Trinity Metro routes 44 and 45. TCC students may ride free on Trinity Metro by showing a student ID.