Back 2 School fills Larson gym

MOSES LAKE - Haircuts, school clothes, books, live music, games, a bouncy house and hamburgers were among the attractions at the Back 2 School event sponsored by Serve Moses Lake Saturday.

Churches from throughout the community worked together to gather clothes and school supplies, Sheryl Ulnick, one of the organizers, said. Volunteers gave haircuts, cooked hamburgers and hot dogs, supervised the clothing giveaway and kept the book table stocked, ran the kids activities and painted faces, distributed backpacks and water bottles.

This is the second year Serve Moses Lake and area churches have sponsored the event, Ulnick said. Back 2 School is designed to take some of the strain off families, Mark Johnson, who was handing out backpacks for junior high and high school students, said.

"We're trying to help the community in a tangible way, to show the love of Jesus Christ," Ulnick said. About 26 churches are involved in Serve Moses Lake, and "we probably had volunteers from most of them," she said.

The cafeteria tables at Larson Elementary School were well-stocked when the doors opened at 10 a.m., she said. "Piles and piles of clothes, and all those are donated from the community. We had 500 backpacks and all those were donated," Ulnick said. The backpacks were filled with school supplies and given to junior high and high school students.

"There are some really cool people in Moses Lake," Johnson said.

Hair stylists volunteered their time to give haircuts. Kids want to look good for the first day of school, said Michael McCormick, which was why he volunteered to give haircuts for boys.

"We just want to make going back to school an awesome experience," said Kathy Holton, who works at Larson during the school year. She was handing out water bottles, which went to elementary school students.

"It's all about community service," said Keith Starcher, who was working wherever he was needed. "Our whole family is here. We find it a good thing to do to give back to the community."

"We can make life better for people. That's what it's all about," said Marilyn Moore, who was helping supervise the clothing tables.

Johnson has been a teacher and administrator in the Moses Lake district for about 25 years, and said kids who have the basics at school are more comfortable at school and ultimately more successful.

And Back 2 School was busy. "Very," Moore said. "It's been pretty busy," said Kayla Lewis, at the backpack table. "It's been good." Ulnick said it would take a few days to determine how many families came to Back 2 School.