HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Long lines started outside CB Watson Primary School Friday to get inside the 15th Annual Houston County Family Connection Back-To-School Bash.
Some Houston County parents stopped by to stock up on supplies before hitting stores.
"Everything is going up these days and I haven't bought anything yet,” Esparza said. “This is going to be my first stop.”
Juan Esparza has three kids in school this year. They each have their own back-to-school list. His son going into 7th grade needs all the basics including pencils, a binder and pens.
But school supplies prices this year are far from basic. The National Retail Federation says the average household could spend over $800 sending their kids back to school. The Houston County back-to-school bash provided a fun day out for the kids and a money-saver for parents.
"It helps everybody in these hard times,” Esparza said. “I'm a father of three so it definitely helped me."
Melinda Schroeder said she came out because of the number of services offered at this one location. The bash provided free lunch, clothing, haircuts, and health screenings.
"That was amazing,” she said. “Because, yes, they are very expensive and when you have multiple children, it really racks up fast.”
Houston County Family Connection’s Executive Director Valkyrie Anderson said the event was successful thanks to all the sponsorships and volunteers who came out to help.
This is one of many events in Central Georgia to make the cost of going back to school not as costly. If you missed this one, that’s okay. There are more back-to-school giveaways happening throughout the month.