MILWAUKEE — Back-to-school costs add up fast for Milwaukee families, but community events are helping ease the financial burden as students prepare to return to classrooms.
At Gee's Clippers, chairs were full and tables stacked high with supplies as families took advantage of free haircuts and school essentials.
"It gives less of a burden. Haircuts are really expensive nowadays, along with school supplies, all the tariffs happening, so being able to come to events like this gives us one less thing to stress about with school starting again," Brooke Paynes said.
According to the National Education Association, parents spend an average of $570 to $586 per child on back-to-school costs—a heavy lift for many households. But families say the confidence fresh supplies give kids as they head into a new school year is priceless.
Watch: Community events help Milwaukee families save on back-to-school costs
"A couple our family members had flood disasters, me, the community and the kids went to help out, and now it's a full circle give back so they're giving back to the kids," Blake Campbell said.
Behind the scenes, volunteers made sure every child left with what they needed. For families, it's more than just a giveaway. It's peace of mind heading into the school year.
"It's important to give back to the families, we know this is an underserved population, we just wanna make sure children have when they start school so they can be ready and ready to learn," Iran Jennings, a volunteer, said.
Gee's Clippers isn't alone. More community groups across Milwaukee are stepping up with free school supplies, health checks, and even clothing drives.
HERE ARE MORE SCHOOL GIVEAWAYS ACROSS THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE
"If you're in need just come and get what you need," Paynes said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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