Marquita Alexander said she was thankful Sunday for events like the A's for Kids Raleigh Backpack Giveaway.
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"It's really helpful, especially for the single moms who are out here struggling. So it's a blessing. It's a really big blessing, it really is," she said.
Alexander is one of the countless parents gearing up for the new school year. The mother of two stopped by the event to defray some of the cost and stress of sending her 4 and 8-year-old to school.
"As a mom, yeah. School time is the hard time," Alexander said.
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The giveaway provided 600 kids with new backpacks, school supplies, and free haircuts.
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Stesha Brown has two kids of her own and said rising costs have made events like Sunday's essential.
"Very helpful," she said. "Especially with how we have inflation going on. Rent is going up, car notes, car insurance, clothes for children. It helps us be able to pay our bills without having to worry about sending our kids to school without the proper necessities."
Brown said her number one concern is making sure her kids are able to get to and from school as Wake County continues to navigate through widespread bus driver shortages. She said last year, those shortages cost her time and money.
"I had to leave work early, he had to stay at school by himself one day, outside, because the teachers had to get their own children. So that was definitely nerve-wracking," Brown said.
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