Thrive International and Manzanita House hosted a back-to-school block party on August 23 at the Knox Presbyterian Church parking lot. More than 150 refugee/immigrant families joined the event to get backpacks with school supplies and winter coats as the back-to-school season started. 

During the whole month of August, Thrive and Manzanita House held donation drives for the block party. Individual donors visited five drop-off locations at Feast World Kitchen, Thrive Center, Manzanita House, Lutheran Community Services, and Refugee & Immigrant Connections Spokane to donate backpacks, school supplies, and clothing.

Also, a total of 32 community partners joined to provide supplies, support, and volunteer for the event. One of the community partners, CarMax, brought 25 backpacks plus extra school supplies in collaboration with Spark Central. A volunteer who transported all the supplies said, “It is an important work in our community. We should participate in this good work.”

On the day of the event, families started lining up in front of the welcome table at 2 p.m. In just the first 30 minutes, Thrive and Manzanita House distributed 300 backpacks filled with school supplies and about 200 articles of clothing to refugees and immigrant families in Spokane. 

According to The Spokesman-Review, Hajiv Hassan, an immigrant from Iraq and a mom of four kids, said through her oldest son as an interpreter that she was “excited” for her children to begin school in Spokane and “grateful” to get new backpacks for her children.

On top of the school supplies giveaway, participants visited various booths of local organizations to learn more about support programs and community engagement. Families also enjoyed playing games, having cotton candies, and getting raffle prizes at the event. Walmart gift cards, fans, and food were given to raffle winners in the middle of the event. 

Thrive’s Community Engagement Manager Emily York Hughes said, “Many of our new neighbors are children and youth starting school in the United States for the first time this September! We want to make sure they have a great start to the school year by providing them with fully stocked backpacks. We are incredibly grateful for our generous community. We are wishing all our new students a successful and fun year of school!”

The Back-to-School Block Party aimed to create a warm and inviting atmosphere where refugees, immigrants, and local community members could come together to celebrate diversity and the importance of education. As Spokane has seen more refugees move to the city in the last 2 years than in a generation, the block party served as a platform for building connections, offering valuable resources, and promoting cultural exchange. 

Thrive International and Manzanita House were featured by The Spokesman-Review. Read the article and learn more about the impact of serving refugee/immigrant families in the Spokane community.