Volunteers help students choose backpacks during the Bi-County Back-to-School Bash on July 29. The annual event served 871 families and approximately 2,000 students.

 

YUBA CITY, CA. (MPG) - To an unknowing passerby, it may have appeared as though the county fair had reopened as a thick line of families stretched around the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds, along Franklin and Wilbur avenues and toward Gauche Aquatic Park on Jul. 29 in Yuba City.

Some families had been waiting for hours for the gates to open for the annual Bi-County Back-to-School Bash, which provided free backpacks, school supplies, clothing, haircuts, meals and other services to local students preparing for the new school year.

“This has got to be one of the biggest ones we’ve been to,” said Randy Davis, president of the Linda Lions Club. “It just goes to show there’s a lot of need.”

Volunteers prepare and distribute lunches to students and their families during the Bi-County Back-to-School Bash on July 29 in Yuba City.

Preliminary totals show that the event served 871 families and approximately 2,000 students from more than 50 local schools. Thirty-three organizations, agencies and community partners participated, along with more than 240 volunteers.

As families entered through security, they were directed to a registration area where organizers collected information about family size, the number of children attending and their schools. Families could then select backpacks before making their way through the fairgrounds’ main exhibit hall.

Inside, Be Xtra operated a free thrift store, Upper Cuts Barber Shop provided free haircuts and Soroptimist volunteers offered free nail painting. More than 100 haircuts were completed during the event, and an additional 250 haircut vouchers were distributed to families. Outside, attendees could pick up a hot meal, snacks and bottled water while visiting resource tables staffed by local agencies and organizations. Children collected books, candy, fidget toys, school supplies and other giveaways as they moved through the event.

Families move through the exhibit hall collecting backpacks, clothing and school supplies during the Bi-County Back-to-School Bash on July 29 at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds in Yuba City.

“I’ve been actually trying to get in for a couple years because it was really small, and then all of a sudden it just got huge,” said Sammy Howard, owner of Supreme Athletics.

For the past three years, school districts, county education offices, nonprofit organizations and local businesses from Yuba and Sutter counties have worked together to provide families with back-to-school resources in one location.

“I think that for every student, the first day of school is a very anxious time,” said Virginia Bisby, director of student support and outreach for the Sutter County Superintendent of Schools. “So, to be able to give them the resources to set them up for a good start is what we’re here to do.”

Families gather outside the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds before entering the Bi-County Back-to-School Bash on July 29 in Yuba City. The event served approximately 2,000 students from across Yuba and Sutter counties.

Amy Molina-Jones, director of prevention support and services for the Yuba County Office of Education, also expressed gratitude to the staff and volunteer members whose work helped make the event possible.

“It takes the whole community, and this community is wonderful about coming together and giving to our families,” she said.

This year’s event also included a separate sensory-friendly experience for students with disabilities or sensory sensitivities. Crossroads Church in Yuba City donated the use of its nearby facility, allowing families to receive services in a quieter and more relaxed environment. The sensory-friendly space was funded by the Sutter County Special Education Local Plan Area and Yuba County SELPA.

The event’s key planning committee included the Sutter County Superintendent of Schools, Yuba County Office of Education, Yuba City Unified School District, Marysville Joint Unified School District, Upper Cuts Barber Shop, Be Xtra, the Salvation Army and SAY Love.

Families browse free clothing available through Be Xtra's pop-up thrift store during the Bi-County Back-to-School Bash on July 29 at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds.

Khalsa Aid Foundation provided 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies, while the Sutter-Yuba Community Foundation donated $1,500 toward the purchase of additional backpacks. PG&E and the Sutter Health Foundation donated backpacks and school supplies, SEVA provided backpacks and Neelam Canto-Lugo donated $120 for school supplies.

The Sutter County Cosmetology Program provided haircut supplies and stylists, while Soroptimist volunteers supplied nail-painting services and materials. The Community Military Appreciation Committee donated reusable water bottles. Bottled water was provided by the Yuba-Sutter Food Bank, Grocery Outlet Yuba City, Pepsi and The Bride Church. Big Mike’s Big Bites and Smoking Barrels BBQ prepared food for attendees, and Supreme Athletics supplied shirts.

“The Bi-County Back-to-School Bash is a powerful reminder of what can happen when our Yuba-Sutter community comes together with a common purpose,” Bisby said. “Every backpack, haircut, meal, volunteer hour and donated resource represents an investment in a child’s success and a family’s well-being.”