BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The annual Ready, Set, Back-2-School event took place this year at the Kern County Museum grounds, with Kern County Child Support Services expecting more than 1,800 attendees to arrive before noon.
With more than 94 booths, the event on Friday offered families more than just backpacks and school supplies — it also served as an opportunity to connect with wellness resources.
For Jennifer Tsosie, attending for the second year, the event's impact extends beyond her own household.
"Some mothers have been going through financial hardships and this has been a very very amazing blessing," Tsosie said.
Beyond free backpacks and school supplies, Tsosie said the event helped her stretch her family's budget in other ways.
"Since my girls got help with their shoes, I get to put the money on the side to get my older son shoes since they didn't have that available for the older ones this year," Tsosie said.
One of this year's participants was Mind Divers, a clinic focused on supporting families through mental health and psychiatric care. The clinic donated 100 backpacks for children at the event.
Victoria Gonzaga, the clinic's manager, said the organization was glad to give back.
"We wanted to give back to the kids and had a good school year coming up," Gonzaga said.
Gonzaga said Mind Divers plans to return next year to continue showing support for the children of Kern County.
Toni Kendrick, the director of Kern County Childcare Services, said the emotional weight of the event goes beyond the donations themselves.
"It's just heartwarming to know that we're helping give families something who may not have a lot. We say this from year to year but this is like Christmas for them. It makes me proud," Kendrick said.
For Tsosie, the effort put in by the county and volunteers does not go unnoticed.
"Volunteers and everybody coming together to put this program on, I couldn't be more happy about it," Tsosie said.
Events like this help ease the cost of getting ready for a new school year, especially when the savings can be put toward other family needs.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
