With the new school year just around the corner, local businesses and community organizations are finding ways to help students prepare.
For Connie Torres, owner of Precious Little Paws in Lake Elsinore, that meant inviting local families to her business Aug. 7 for free haircuts, school supplies and food. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., giving many families a chance to stop by throughout the day.
Barber Georgie Gonzalez was set up inside Torres’ shop, giving haircuts to children one by one. The business next door, Letty’s Beauty Salon, also participated by providing free haircuts, helping move the line along.
Torres said people started lining up for the event before 10 a.m. and that by 11 a.m., all sets of school supplies had been given out.
The supplies included pencils, markers, crayons, notebooks and erasers. Although the school supplies were gone early in the event, families could still stop by throughout the day for free haircuts.
Torres said she decided to put on the event because she knows how expensive it can be for families to get their children ready for a new school year.
“Everything’s super expensive and school’s coming next week,” she said. “I’m a mother and I know it’s super expensive, so I just want to help out the community.”
This was the first time Torres has hosted a back-to-school event, but she has organized other community events in the past.
“Most of the time I do little events here and there,” she said. “I’ll do raffles and offer discounts, just to help out the community. Obviously because without them, I wouldn’t be here.”
Torres said the response to the back-to-school event was positive, with families thanking her and the others who helped.
“They’re very happy, they have thanked me a lot,” she said. “It’s a little bit, but it’s something that comes out of our hearts. Hopefully next year we can give more backpacks and school supplies, but at this time this is all we could do.”
Precious Little Paws is a dog grooming salon that provides grooming services for dogs, cats, rabbits and other pets. The business also has a self-wash station set up for customers who want to care for their pets at a lower cost.
“We have a self-wash station as well to help out the community and for people who cannot pay the price that we charge,” she said. “They can still take care of their pets by doing the self-wash for a lower cost, and we provide them with everything that they will need. They just need to bring their pets in.”
After three years in business, Torres said she is glad to have opportunities to support the people who have supported her.
“It means a lot that I can support and give a little bit out there for people that have helped me through these three years,” she said. “It feels really good, it feels good here in my heart.”
