Parents & Students Line Up For Dallas Mayor's Back To School Fair

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — As students in the Dallas Independent School District prepare to head back to class, the city is holding the Mayor's Back to School Fair.

This year, the City of Dallas is giving out 10,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to children.

It's the 25th year the city has made way to help unserved families get a jump start on schools supplies.

Florence Emakpose has four children in the Dallas ISD and told CBS 11's Nicole Jacobs she's grateful. "To be honest… It's hard. Imagine four kids and then their demands are different," she said.

Now imagine 9 children who need supplies. Netta Porterfield has kids attending classes from pre-K up to 11th grade. "A lot of times we rely on the school trying to help us and the community trying to help us, but I would probably be out of a lot of money for my kids [and they] just wouldn't have the stuff, she said.

Dozens of volunteers have stuffed backpacks—and due to COVID—will load them into cars during the drive thru event.

It's an experience Tammy Turner calls a Godsend. "We're so used to helping others and sending extra school supplies to school. This year we couldn't and it's hard."

But this partnership between the City, Dallas ISD and dozens of sponsors, certainly lightens the burden.

And in the Mayor's eyes, it puts Dallas in good standing for the future.

Mayor Eric Johnson announced that one of the event sponsors—Coca-Cola— donated 300 laptops for high school seniors.

The 25th Annual Mayor's Back to School Fair ends Friday at 6:00 p.m.