Columbia community helps children get ready for the first day of school

The third annual Back to School Giveaway took place Saturday afternoon at the Boys and Girls Club in Columbia.

The event was organized by the Almeta Crayton’s Community Programs along with the Operation K.I.T.E Foundation.

Hundreds of children received new backpacks filled with school supplies.

Organizers said in the past two years, they have given away nearly 600 backpacks to children in need.

Free haircuts were also available for young boys.

“It’s not just to give,” said Kentrell Minton, Director of Almeta Crayton’s Community Programs. “It’s actually to bring us closer together, because we have to start communing together. Our motto is ‘Community helping community.’ We take what the community gives us and we turn it into something to give back. It’s basically to bring us closer.”