The Newburgh Armory Unity Center welcomed city families to their annual Back To School Distribution event on Wednesday, August 28. Backpacks were distributed, community resources were made available and kids walked away with school supplies or free haircuts.

From 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, families made their way to the Armory, lining up in front of its Larkin Center area, waiting to get inside. Entering the center lobby, parents were given tickets with their child’s grade level written down in order to get a free backpack for the upcoming school year. The event was made possible by the partnership of the Armory with Healthfirst NY, Team Newburgh, Hudson Valley Imaging, Cornerstone Family Healthcare and World of Giving.

“We’re [Cornerstone] always so proud to partner with the Newburgh Armory Unity Center and the other organizations that are here today to see the joy and the happiness of the families and the parents and the kids too. They love the backpacks. That’s really why we do what we do,” said Lauren Naru, Vice President of Marketing and Development at Cornerstone Family Healthcare.

Once inside the center, children were given the opportunity to get a free haircut from several barbers. Children sat patiently in the makeshift barber chairs as they got a cut just in time for the new school year.

Children and parents made their way over to several tables that offered information, free snacks and other free supply items. “We gave out notebooks, pens and pencils,” said Francesca Bryson, Coalition Coordinator for Team Newburgh. “I love watching all the kids smile when they get their haircuts. There was a great influx of families, and there were smiles on everyone’s faces.”

Along with the school supplies, organizations provided information on healthcare and community services available to the community. Team Newburgh, for example, is a substance-use prevention coalition serving the entire Newburgh community, educating children on the dangers of substances and proper drug and medication storage for adults.

For parents in Newburgh and in other areas, the ability to acquire supplies for school may be a challenge, but with community organizations such as the ones at the event, the challenge can be lessened. “The reality is there’s a lot of pressure on parents with the food disparity that’s going on right now and the income disparity with rents raising and utilities raising, and especially in the City of Newburgh,” said Ermelinda Cortes, Data Analyst for Team Newburgh. “Statistically, you have a community that’s 64% Latino and a lot of services are not bilingual. So they [parents] might be able to get supplies but they might not understand which supplies. So being able to be here and go, No, this is going to be good for one class, but you might need three of these for different subjects, if they’re older children.”

As parents and family members finished at the tables, they went to the backpack distribution area. In one of the Armory classrooms, several stacks of book bags were laid out and retrieved for children looking to take them home to use for the new school year. Backpacks for boys and girls were given out and the organizers of the event were thanked as families left the facility. Several families continued to make their way inside to receive any supplies that might have been left over, but most of the supplies were gone within the first hour of the event. The first day of school for the Newburgh Enlarged City School District is Thursday, September 5.