- Community groups, including UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, are hosting supply drives to help offset rising school costs.
- Volunteers are packing over 2,000 backpacks, plus providing shoes, clothes, and hygiene items at Saturday’s YouTurn Community Funday.
- Multiple free events this weekend will offer supplies, haircuts, food, and activities to make the transition back to school easier for families.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Getting your kids ready for the new school year can get pricey—especially if you have more than one. In North Omaha, several organizations are teaming up to make the back-to-school season a little easier—and a lot more fun for families.
Pencils, folders, notebooks, and backpacks—all essentials for heading back to school. For Dorothy Johnson, sending her two girls back to class comes at a cost, so having the community to lean on is a relief.
“For sure we’re so excited… we’re so excited…. thank you so much~,” Johnson said.Johnson says the cost isn’t the only challenge—sometimes it’s the uncertainty.
“Honestly, it’s the mystery of how things will trickle down to our local ecosystems this school year,” she said.With inflation still unsteady, providing for a family can be tough. Organizations like UNMC and Nebraska Medicine are stepping up with back-to-school drives.
“Every household has expenses… and school comes along every year, however things are more expensive, so we just want to help however we can for the household,” said Shonda Ross with UNMC. This weekend, volunteers are packing more than 2,000 backpacks for the North Omaha Community Partnership and YouTurn Back to School Community Funday on Saturday.
“All week has been crazy because we’ve been doing this all week and it takes one heck of an operation, so we’ve been doing two shifts per day,” said North Omaha Community Partnership founder, Tamika Mease. The event will also offer shoes, clothes, and hygiene products—plus plenty of fun.
“It’s just going to be a fun, positive, loving environment for everyone to just come out, celebrate with us, have fun, and eat good food,” Mease said.
“Omaha city-wide is really rich in regards to providing resources, I just think it’s a little extra special in North Omaha," Johnson said.
For a list of other free back-to-school events offering supplies, haircuts, and more, check out this article on our website.
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.
Upcoming Back-to-School Events:
- Aug. 9, 2025: Backpack Giveaway at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, 12–3 p.m.
- Aug. 9, 2025: Community Funday at YouTurn Campus, 12–5 p.m.
- Aug. 10, 2025: Free food, drinks, haircuts, and school supplies at 4001 Ames Ave., 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Aug. 10, 2025: Back to School at the Hope Center for Kids, 3–9 p.m.
- Aug. 10, 2025: Free haircuts and food at 6570 Maple Street, 12–6 p.m.
- Aug. 10, 2025: All in the Family Giveaway at Lothrop Social Hall, 1–4 p.m.
- Aug. 10, 2025: Giveaway at Pleasant Green Baptist Church, starting at noon until supplies run out.
- Aug. 11–12, 2025: Fresh Fades and Flatirons Back to School Event at Salem Baptist Church, 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
