Spokane’s refugee communities treated to annual back-to-school block party

Local nonprofits partnered to hold an annual back-to-school resource fair and block party Wednesday for the many refugee families with small children in Spokane.

Hundreds of recent immigrants walked through booths at Knox Presbyterian Church getting school supplies and resources. By the end of the night, families were gifted 300 fully stocked backpacks, 200 coats and countless free physicals. The event was organized jointly by nonprofits Manzanita House and Thrive International, which both provide resources to refugees in the city.

Hajiv Hassan is an immigrant from Iraq who attended the party with her four children. Speaking through her oldest son as an interpreter, Hassan said she was “excited” for her children to begin school in Spokane and “grateful” to get new backpacks for her children.

“I don’t have a lot of time to learn the language, so shopping can be difficult when I have questions,” she said through her son.

According to Hassan, Spokane has been “very welcoming” to her family, “except for the snow.”

Over 32 organizations ran booths at the fair, where snacks and games were at hand.

Thrive spokesperson Emily York Hughes said the annual block party is essential for refugees because many have small children but may not have access to the resources to get them ready for school in America.

“Many of our new neighbors are children and youth starting school in the United States for the first time this September! We want to make sure they have a great start to the school year by providing them with fully stocked backpacks,” she said in a statement. “We are incredibly grateful for our generous community. We are wishing all our new students a successful and fun year of school!”

Manzanita House director Patricia Castaneda also noted many refugees are still learning English, and finding help outside of the nonprofits they already know can be challenging.

“We advocate for refugees in every part of their life. And most don’t speak the language, so it can be difficult to access resources. This event can be an easy starting point to get that information and those resources – and it’s a very fun time out for the kids,” she said in an interview.