ROCHESTER, N.Y. — With the start of the new school year less than two weeks away in the city of Rochester, the Roc Royal Foundation is making sure children have the supplies they need at the seventh annual Back 2 School Classic Giveaway.

Diane Douglas is making sure her two grandsons are ready for the upcoming school year.

"[Their] moms weren't able to be out here today, so I'm grandma,” Douglas said. “So grandma came out here to bring them to have fun and grab book bags for schools."

The Roc Royal Foundation gave away book bags with school supplies such as notebooks, pens, papers and crayons to dozens of families at Brown Square Park.

The event also provided free haircuts, food and entertainment.

"One of our biggest things is because we are in a pandemic,” Khadija Yawn, the CEO of Roc Royal Foundation, said. “Parents are going through unemployment, things of that nature. They don’t have a lot so we wanted to make sure that we are still able to do it safely so that we can help provide some of the things that are needed."

Yawn says the giveaway was all about the bringing the community together.

"In order to be successful to be successful at school, they need supplies,” Yawn said. “They need to feel good. They need to look good so those are some of the things that we are looking to help with and partner with the parents and partner with other community organizations to make sure that our kids are successful in school. We want to see those numbers go up." 

Douglas added she is thankful that she was able to get the free school supplies for her grandkids.

"They need to have supplies when they go to school,” Douglas said. “A lot of times, kids can't afford to get the stuff that they need so this makes it easier on everybody. If you got the book bag, then everything else will follow."