New Direction Church to help nearly 10K families at 'Back 2 School' block party

INDIANAPOLIS — An annual community event to wrap up summer and help families start the new school year on the right foot is happening Saturday.

"I want to send them back prepared, make sure he has everything and can move through the school year comfortably," Krystin Johnson said.

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Johnson has the same goal as many parents this time of the year. She has a 7-year-old son and says she has a strategy when it comes to going back to school.

"You have to definitely look for the sales. Any bargains that you can," Johnson said. "The prices, I mean, crayons are going up. It's just really different from when I was growing up. It's expensive. With clothes, it's really hard."

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"Estimates are $900 per student to send them back to school. If that's true and you've got three children, that's about $2,700," Pastor Kenneth Sullivan Jr., of New Direction Church, said.

On Saturday, New Direction Church is taking over six blocks — from 38th Street and Butler Avenue to 38th Street and Graham Avenue — for its annual "Back 2 School” block party.

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"Free haircuts, free food, food trucks, there's going to be rides that rival some of your favorite amusement parks," Sullivan said. "There's going to be free tennis shoes, free school uniforms, you name it is going to be there."

Last year, Sullivan says they handed out a little more than 8,000 backpacks filled with supplies. This year, they are aiming even higher, preparing to serve nearly 10,000 families.

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"They just need to show up and be ready. Once they get in line, they'll get their name, their information and they'll load them up," Sullivan said.

Load them up with resources that help parents out a lot.

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"You won't get all the supplies that you need, but you get a good start," Johnson said.

Sullivan advises folks to get there early. With traffic and the roads blocked off, you don't want to miss out.

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The "Back 2 School" block party is Saturday, July 20 from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. at New Direction Church, located at 5330 E 38 ^th Street.