Volunteers for the City of Rochester were giving out free book bags to encourage people to fill out the 2020 U.S. Census forms.

Mayor Lovely Warren says just under half of all households in Rochester have filled out the census heading into this weekend. The federal government completes the census every 10 years to determine how much funding goes to different programs through the population count. Volunteers say the census gives people a chance to be heard.

"At a time like this, people, they don't feel important. They don't feel seen. I feel like more than anything the census is about you being seen. You have to be counted because you matter. If you feel like you don't matter, you don't secure your count, what's gonna happen to our youth? It's not just about us. It's about the people coming up behind us and they deserve a fighting chance at life too," said census coordinator Ayriona Winston.

Spectrum News is told 32 people completed their census forms at this event.