Houston County Back to School Party Helps Parents Stock Up

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Long lines began Friday outside C.B. Watson Elementary School to enter the 15th annual Houston County Family Connection Back-to-School Party.

Some Houston County parents stopped to stock up on supplies before heading to stores.

“Everything is going up these days and I haven’t bought anything yet,” Esparza said. “This will be my first stop.”

Juan Esparza has three children in school this year. Each of them has their own back-to-school list. His son, who is entering 7th grade, needs everything he needs, including pencils, a binder and pens.

But this year, school supply prices are far from low. According to the National Retail Federation, the average household could spend more than $800 to send their kids to school. Houston County’s back-to-school party provided a fun day for kids and a chance to save parents money.

“It helps everyone in these tough times,” Esparza said. “I’m a father of three, so it really helped me.”

Melinda Schroeder said she came because of the number of services offered at the unique venue. The event offered free meals, clothing, haircuts and health screenings.

“It was amazing,” she said. “Because, yes, they are very expensive and when you have multiple children, it adds up very quickly.”

Houston County Family Connection Executive Director Valkyrie Anderson said the event was a success thanks to all the sponsorships and volunteers who came out to help.

This is one of many events held in Central Georgia to help reduce back-to-school costs. If you missed this one, don’t worry. There are other back-to-school giveaways happening throughout the month.

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