Thousands of Surrey residents turned out Saturday as the City Dream Centre staged its ninth annual back-to-school event at Lena Shaw Elementary, handing out 1,400 backpacks filled with school supplies and offering clothing, food and games for families in the city’s inner‑city neighbourhoods.
Long lines, targeted giving and community supports
Families began forming lines as early as 6 a.m. for the distribution, which officially opened at 10 a.m. and ran until 2 p.m. Organizers said well over 2,000 people attended the free event.
Founder and CEO Loretta Hibbs said the non-profit altered its distribution strategy this year after running out of backpacks in previous years — at one point giving away all supplies within the first 90 minutes. To stretch resources, the charity focused the giveaway on elementary students.
“This event that we do is to help alleviate some of the stress for the families. If we can give some clothes for the kids and some backpacks for families. It’s going to make a big difference, and it doesn’t meet all their needs going back to school, but it shows them that we see you, we care, and we’re here,”
The event combined practical supports with community activities: children picked up backpacks and new clothing, enjoyed a hot dog lunch and took part in games and attractions including a bouncy castle, face painting and corn‑hole toss.
How the giveaway is organised
City Dream Centre collects school supplies year‑round in preparation for the event. Hibbs noted recent donations — including a single gift of 144 backpacks the week of the event — helped boost the total to 1,400 this year. No pre-registration was required, and many families learned about the giveaway through school flyers or word of mouth.
- When: Saturday, distribution started at 10 a.m., event ran until 2 p.m.
- Where: Lena Shaw Elementary, Surrey
- Attendance: Well over 2,000 people
- Backpacks distributed: 1,400, focused on elementary students
- Year: Ninth annual event; City Dream Centre was founded in 2016
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Backpacks given | 1,400 |
| Estimated attendees | 2,000+ |
| Year founded | 2016 |
Political presence and local impact
Several politicians — both incumbents and those running in the upcoming municipal election — attended and helped hand out backpacks for short periods during the day. The non-partisan presence underlined the event’s role as a visible, community-focused initiative addressing cost pressures that families face at the start of the school year.
For organisers, the giveaway is intended to do more than provide school supplies. Hibbs framed the event as a way to reduce family stress and to show children and parents that the wider community is paying attention and willing to help.
While the giveaway does not claim to solve all the problems families face returning to school, the scale of turnout and the fact that volunteers and donors sustained the event for nearly a decade points to persistent need in parts of Surrey. The City Dream Centre’s model — collecting supplies year‑round and staging a single large distribution — relies on community donations and volunteer effort to reach families in inner‑city schools.
As Surrey grows and the cost of living remains a concern for many households, community-driven efforts like the City Dream Centre’s backpack giveaway are likely to remain an important local safety net during the back-to-school period.
The event was free to attend, and organisers said they hope continued donations will allow the charity to maintain or expand the reach of future giveaways.
