Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) will be hosting a Back to School Giveaway event in Flushing on Saturday, Aug. 19, featuring free backpacks and school supplies for hundreds of students, information about essential community programs and a raffle.
“Our back to school events are meant to provide a helping hand to struggling families throughout New York City who need a little extra support to ensure that their children are well prepared to start the school year,” said Emily Rios, managing director of AAFE Community Services. “We are excited to be partnering with our elected officials and so many incredible non-profit organizations to share critical community resources.”
The event will take place at AAFE’s One Flushing Community Center, located at 133-29 41st Ave., from noon to 4 p.m. Parents of school-aged children (K-12) are encouraged to sign up in advance for a free backpack by RSVPing or calling 718-961-0888. Supplies are limited.
On the same day, AAFE will also be hosting a backpack giveaway in Jackson Heights. A similar back-to-school event is taking place at AAFE’s offices in Manhattan’s Chinatown on Aug. 16. The Jackson Heights and Chinatown giveaways are already fully booked. More details about these and other events can be found on AAFE’s community calendar.
AAFE has served the Flushing community for more than 25 years, offering multilingual community services and affordable housing. From the One Flushing Community Center, the organization provides access to government entitlement programs, immigration assistance, housing counseling and a popular after school program for immigrant high school students. AAFE also offers free bi-monthly legal clinics in partnership with the Asian American Bar Association of New York.
Co-sponsors of the Back-to-School giveaway event include the Korean American Family Service Center (KSFSC), Korean Community Services (KCS), New York Presbyterian Hospital, The Child Center of NY, Undo Poverty Flushing, Garden of Hope, Rep. Grace Meng, Senator John Liu, Assemblyman Ron Kim and City Councilwoman Sandra Ung.
