The giveaway begins this Saturday at 11 a.m. (credit: Hayley Fox)
For many L.A. students it's back-to-school time soon, and a South L.A. community center is hosting a giveaway to equip local youth with "the right tools for school." A Place Called Home (APCH) on Central Avenue has been putting on this event for the past few years, and is expecting to see more than 800 students at this Saturday's event.
Although tough economic times have hit everyone hard, this financial squeeze is nothing new for South L.A. residents, said Gilbert Radillo, associate director of community initiatives at APCH.
"The area we're located in specifically, it's like the recession is an everyday thing," he said.
Although APCH does have members who take classes and partake in events there, this weekend's event is open to everyone. Volunteers will be handing out backpacks full of "goodies" such as pens, pencils, highlighters and packs of paper. There will be age-specific packs as well, including those that contain flash drives and graphing calculators for older students.
All of the products come from donors; including Target, Starbucks and Kaiser Permanente. Some items are collected at offices around the city where employees donate items for the event. The school supplies giveaway begins at 11 a.m. at the APCH playground, but starting at 9 a.m. there will be a free vision clinic also on site, giving eye tests and making diagnoses.
The event is expected to last until 2 p.m.
