Douglass Park had the feel of a block party Saturday afternoon, with music, yard games, and tables piled high with backpacks and school supplies — all free to any family who stopped by. The event, “Rock the Community – Back to School Edition,” ran from 2 to 5 p.m. and was organized by Rock the Community, a Columbia nonprofit built around youth development and neighborhood wellness, according to KOMU 8.
CV Drywall covered the bulk of the school supplies handed out, with more donated by community members, KOMU reported. Kids who played the afternoon’s yard games walked away with prizes on top of the gear they needed for the first day of class. Columbia Public Schools students head back August 25, which put the timing of the giveaway right where families needed it most.
Volunteers said the goal was simple: make sure no kid in the neighborhood starts the year without what they need. One volunteer, Salena March, told KOMU that having gone through financial hardship herself gave her a deeper appreciation for giving back to the community. Rock Bridge High School student Ne’vaeh Johnson, who also volunteered, put it more simply: “I just like seeing the children happy.”
For a lot of families, back-to-school shopping lands as one more August expense on top of a summer’s worth of higher electric bills. Free-supply days like this one are why events like Rock the Community’s keep showing up at Douglass Park — a low-key, no-questions-asked way for neighbors to make sure the first day of school starts off right for every kid on the block, backpack and all.
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