TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — With the start of the new school year just weeks away for many Southern Arizona students, hundreds of families gathered Saturday on Tucson's west side to receive free backpacks, school supplies and other resources at the third annual Las Chicas Backpack Giveaway and Carshow.
The event, held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ramada Inn near Interstate 10, brought together dozens of local businesses, nonprofits and community organizations to help families prepare for the upcoming school year.
"We have over 76 sponsors that came out today to make this possible," said event organizer Selina Loreto.
Loreto said organizers distributed more than 1,500 backpacks during what she described as the largest backpack giveaway the group has hosted since launching the annual event.
"We are giving over fifteen hundred backpacks to the community," she said.
Las Chicas, which began as a Mexican food truck, has expanded its community outreach in recent years by organizing large-scale charitable events. In addition to backpacks filled with school supplies, Saturday's event featured food trucks, live music, games and information from local organizations offering family services.
For many parents, the giveaway helped ease the financial burden that often accompanies back-to-school shopping. According to the National Retail Federation, families with children in elementary through high school are expected to spend hundreds of dollars per student on clothing, electronics and school supplies during the back-to-school season.
Parent Amber Mamake said the event demonstrates the generosity of the community.
"That mean's that like, they did it out of the kindness of their hearts to be able to get the school supplies they need for school," Mamake said.
Loreto said the event is especially meaningful because she understands the challenges many families face.
"My heart is filled right now. I know the struggle and how hard it was. So I see these parents ... and everything here is free," she said.
The backpack giveaway is one of several back-to-school events taking place across Tucson in July as area school districts prepare to welcome students back to classrooms later this month.
Loreto said Las Chicas plans to continue its community outreach beyond the school season.
"We're doing a Thanksgiving drive as well. It'll be here with Simply Hermosa. It'll be our second year doing it with them," she said.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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