ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands of local students are getting the school supplies they need for free before school starts in Central Florida.
WFTV 9 Family Connection partnered with Central Florida Auto Dealers Association, Fun Spot America, Stanley Steemer and The UPS Store for the 2019 Back 2 School Bash.
Some families who showed up Saturday morning to the Fashion Square Mall were waiting in line for hours before the start of the annual event.
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The event looks to help thousands of students get some of the supplies they need before they head back to school.
If not for the effort by Hope Now Foundation, thousands of Central Florida children would go back to school without the basics to get started, often pushing the burden onto teachers.
"Teachers can spend at least $900 out of their own pockets to go ahead and take care of their children," said Michael Radka of Hope Now Foundation.
The doors opened at 10 a.m. but the process to get here actually started weeks ago with the help of people who donated supplies and who sponsored a student.
The 2019 event is not just about backpacks; there's fun, face painting and performances. There will also be free dental, vision and hearing screenings, as well as free haircuts.
"Everyone who needs to get a haircut, for kids, can go and get their haircut so they are prepared for their first day at school," student Zander Wyant said.
Last year, the event provided 9,800 backpacks, 750 dental screenings, 450 haircuts and 450 vision screenings to more than 25,000 people who attended.
The 2019 Back 2 School Bash will end at 2 p.m., but If you can't make it, you can still prepare your child for the first day of school.
Florida's tax-free holiday is underway this weekend, which means you can buy certain supplies without having to pay the state's 6 percent sales tax.
The holiday covers clothes less than $60, school supplies under $15 each and electronics under $1,000.
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