The event aims to provide students and their families with resources for a successful start to the 2016-17 academic year, including preschool and afterschool program enrollment details, free uniforms for elementary-age children, introductions to the new principals at Daniel Webster and Starr King elementary schools, and free barber haircuts for boys. Backpacks, haircuts and uniforms will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis; children must be accompanied by an adult to take part in the giveaway. The event will also feature a climbing wall, Frisbee golf and light snacks.
The resource fair is a component of Rebuild Potrero (www.rebuildpotrero.com), nonprofit BRIDGE Housing’s comprehensive transformation effort to rebuild 606 units of distressed public housing and create another 1,000 new homes with a range of affordability, community facilities, open space, and social networks and services to improve the lives of current and future generations.
In addition, Rebuild Potrero is a part of HOPE SF (www.hope-sf.org), an anti-poverty and housing development initiative which seeks to transform San Francisco’s most dilapidated public housing into thriving mixed-income communities through holistic revitalization. HOPE SF is a partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and the San Francisco Housing Authority.
For Potrero public housing residents, whose average annual household income is about $14,000, the gift of a new backpack and supplies makes a big impact. According to the National Retail Federation, the average American family will spend $674 on supplies, electronics, apparel and other school needs this year.
The event is sponsored by Rebuild Potrero, Healthy Generations Project, Urban Services YMCA/Potrero Hill Family Support Center, Potrero Hill Recreation Center, Daniel Webster Elementary School, Starr King Elementary School, Potrero Hill Health Clinic, and Community Awareness Resource Entity (CARE).
For more information about Rebuild Potrero, visit www.rebuildpotrero.com.
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