Local businesses, organizations and individuals are teaming up with the City of Paris for a “Back-to-School Event” to ensure that all area students have what they need to do their best in the upcoming school year.
The Back-to-School Event will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 5, at Love Civic Center.
Many local retailers have donated products or financial resources for the event, and several plan to assist with distribution. Some local hairstylists will offer free haircuts on-site, and City Square will have clothing items available. The students must be present to receive school supplies. Drawings for great prizes donated by local businesses will be held throughout the event.
“The City of Paris was contacted by multiple individuals and organizations seeking to host a school supply distribution and we have been able to join these forces to put on one large-scale event,” Kimmie Snowton, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Paris Police Department, said. “This is sure to become an annual event for the community, and the City of Paris is grateful for the opportunity to help.”
Anyone wishing to donate school supplies can drop them off between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday at My People’s Beauty Supply, 1245 Clarksville Street. Businesses and organizations that want to participate in the event can contact Snowton at 903-609-9698 or Ashley Dotson at 430-242-0348.
“Making sure our kids have access to what they need to succeed in school benefits everyone,” Paris Mayor Reginald Hughes said. “Educating the next generation to enter the workforce or continue on to higher education helps the entire community, and this is a chance for everyone in the City of Paris to invest in that future.”
According to the 2019 Huntington Bank Backpack Index, which tracks the average cost of school supplies per U.S. student annually, the cost of school supplies per student each year is more than $1,000, with high school supplies exceeding $1,600.
The annual Texas tax-free weekend, when purchases of school supplies, backpacks, clothing and footwear under $100 per item will be exempt from sales tax, is set for Friday, August 11 through Sunday, August 13. A full list of the qualifying tax-exempt items can be found on the Texas Comptroller’s website. https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/98-490/
