JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It won’t be long before summer break is over and children go back to school.
While many children have parents who can afford to buy them all the school supplies they need to be successful in class, others sometimes struggle.
That’s why the owners of Cutz Linez and Trimz Barber Shop on Moncrief Avenue are stepping up to help disadvantaged children before school starts.
The owners are taking donations to purchase enough school supplies to give away at their annual back-to-school celebration, which will take place Sunday, Aug. 4. Many of the children who attend that celebration come from low-income households.
Those children can enjoy free food and games during the celebration. They will also receive new backpacks filled with school supplies.
The owners of the barbershop have hosted back-to-school parties for the past two years.
“We’ve also given out uniforms to kids that may need them, haircuts and hairdos," owner Renita Turner said. "We started doing it because we wanted to give back to the kids that needed it."
Turner said she sees a lot of children who come from single-parent homes and households where parents are struggling financially to make ends meet.
“We see a lot of that. Being here in the Moncrief area, we have that. Come in sometimes, barely getting haircuts," Turner said. "So I can only imagine how hard it is for parents to sometimes provide them with things they need to go to school every day.”
Anyone wanting to help the cause by purchasing school items can drop them off at the barbershop.
“Or I can pick it up," Turner said. "We also have a GoFundMe page set up under Cutz Linez and Trimz third annual back-to-school party. We also have a Walmart.com registry, where we have specific items -- pencils, paper and backpacks. You can go on there at your convenience and pick out what you want.”
HOW TO HELP: GoFundMe | Walmart registry | Facebook fundraiser
During last year’s back-to-school bash, Turner and her husband handed out 60 backpacks filled with supplies.