AMOR and Binational of California came together to help Mendota students get ready for the new school year by providing 370 free backpacks filled with school supplies, along with health screenings, vaccines, and sports physicals during a free back-to-school event at the AMOR Wellness Center.

The evening was a resounding success, with hundreds of community members attending and all 370 backpacks distributed before the event officially ended. Despite temperatures climbing above 100 degrees, families and kids were all smiles as they picked out their favorite backpack color, participated in raffles and games, enjoyed a slice of pizza, and visited information booths for local organizations.

For many families in rural communities like Mendota, back-to-school season can be financially challenging. Community events like this help ease the cost of preparing children for the school year while also connecting families with valuable programs and services available through local organizations.

In addition to backpacks and school supplies, families were also able to receive free school-required vaccines, sports physicals, and health screenings for the whole family through the Saint Agnes Mobile Health Unit.

In the days leading up to the event, the AMOR team and volunteers worked together to assemble hundreds of school supply kits that included notebooks, filler paper, rulers, and pencil boxes filled with pencils, glue sticks, dry-erase markers, colored pencils, and pencil sharpeners. With AMOR providing the school supplies and Binational of California providing the backpacks, this partnership helped ensure hundreds of local students headed back to school with the supplies they need to start the year prepared and confident.

Thank you to all our community partners for helping make this event a success and making an impact towards the education and well-being of Mendota’s young learners.