{ End of Summer Block Party….Free to be a kid! }

11th Annual End of Summer Block Party Provides a Day of Fun and a Backpack Full of School Supplies

Take the food of summer, In-N-Out and King Taco, add bounce houses and some crafts – and a little water, and you have all the elements necessary for a kid-oriented festival. That’s what will happen Saturday, August 28th at the Los Angeles Mission as volunteers, staff and guests will enjoy the 11th annual End of Summer Block Party.

Celebrities, local officials and other volunteers served food, painted faces, ran game booths, helped with the giant slide and handed out backpacks. FOX will be stuffing the backpacks with the school supplies the children will need as they head back to school.

“With the tough economy many Skid Row families cannot afford basic school supplies for their children, so they come to this event to get what they need,” said Herb Smith, President of the Los Angeles Mission. “Watching the children have fun and perhaps forget their circumstances for a few hours on a summer afternoon is also very worthwhile for our volunteers and, of course, the children’s parents.”

King Taco and In-N -Out Burger will provide the hamburgers and tacos everyone enjoys. Michael Levin Trading Company also joined the Mission’s kitchen staff in providing hot dogs. But food won’t be the biggest highlight of the day for most of the participants. Having their face painted like Spiderman or getting the ball through the basket – or sliding down the inflatable slide will be more to their liking.

Families will start lining up early so they can have plenty of time for food and fun before getting their school materials and backpacks.

Hundreds of volunteers will show up to make the Saturday event possible. “When the economy is difficult we are more in need,” said President Smith. “But many individuals and businesses come through to help. We have seen requests for services increase over the last few months, indicating that more people are hurting – we encourage our supporters to volunteer and donate to help those in need.”

U. S. Bank, City National Bank, FOX Gives, and United Health Group will provide financial support for the event.

The Los Angeles Christian Health Centers (formerly the Los Angeles Mission Community Clinic) will provide height and weight screenings for the children. A team of faculty and students from Cal State University Long Beach will be on hand to provide speech and language evaluations that can be used by the children’s schools to help them progress.

Overall, it will be a great day in Skid Row! Hundreds of backpacks will be distributed and more than 2,500 meals served.

Want to get involved? Click here to register to volunteer