BETHEL, Ohio — Bethel-Tate Local Schools handed out more than 500 free meals along with backpacks, school supplies and haircuts during the district’s first Back to School Bash, an event the district said drew a strong crowd despite rain in the forecast.
The event was held Aug. 6 in the parking lot outside Bethel-Tate High School, with the Bethel-Tate High School Marching Band providing live music for families gathered on campus, the district said in a Facebook post. Local food trucks distributed more than 500 meal tickets, and volunteers gave out backpacks and school supplies to students ahead of the new school year.
Sharon Caples, Amanda Tolliver and Stacey Long volunteered their time and equipment to give students free haircuts and haircut vouchers, according to the district. Students in kindergarten through fourth grade also received backpacks through the district’s “Tools for Schools” giveaway, which the district said was supported by donations from staff members and community members.
More than 20 community organizations set up tables at the event, including Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health, Child Focus, the Clermont County Mental Health and Recovery Board, NECCO, HealthSource Ohio, Inter Parish Ministries, the Clermont County Public Library’s Bethel branch, Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio, the Ohio School Safety Center, Grant Career Center, and the Clermont Metropolitan Housing Authority, along with Bethel police and fire and EMS crews, the district said.
District officials credited Josh Tucker, Bethel-Tate’s director of student support services, food service, wellness and school safety, with organizing the event, saying he spent months coordinating community partners, food trucks and family resources ahead of the bash.
Bethel-Tate Local Schools serves about 1,346 students across four school buildings in Clermont County, according to federal education data. The district, headquartered on West Plane Street in Bethel, covers grades pre-kindergarten through 12 and includes Bethel-Tate High School, where the event was held.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Bethel-Tate Local Schools.