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MC Community Care Holds Annual Back-to-School Supplies Giveaway in Orlando
MC Community Care, a local community-based nonprofit organization, hosts an annual back-to-school event where attendees can receive free backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, hair braiding, and other resources for families. The organization’s mission is to reach families that lack the resources to provide necessities to their families, according to Halah Abed, who co-founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit with her son, Hady. Over the past eight years, the organization has reached about 1500 residents annually, Halah said. The organization’s website notes that a total of 20,000 backpacks have been distributed.
Turning Personal Hardship into Community Healing
This is a personal mission for Halah, who came from a single immigrant parent household with six siblings. She remembers the struggle her mother endured when the family first moved to America and how they relied on community support for help. After growing up and establishing her career, Halah wanted to honor her mother’s legacy by helping underserved families in Central Florida. “Even though my journey was going forward, I never forgot where I came from,” she told Pulp City.
Starting in 2017, MC Community Care began hosting annual back-to-school, turkey, and Christmas giveaways. All three events focus on families in need. Halah said this is a community effort, involving help from other nonprofits, local politicians, businesses, and anyone willing to donate to the cause.
She said Orlando city commissioners Shaniqua Rose, District 5, and Michael Scott, District 6, have been very active in the community and in supporting MC Community Care’s giveaways. Heart to Heart International and Dental Care Access Foundation, both nonprofit organizations, are donating hygiene and dental products to the back-to-school giveaway.
A New Focus on Dental Hygiene and Total Family Health
This year, Halah wants to focus on providing dental care to those in need. While it seems simple, she said, when you have a family that is struggling, those basics go a long way.
Dental Care Access Foundation will help families at the giveaway fill out an application for dental screenings and give them a tutorial on how to brush and floss. Attendees will be given a kit to bring home, where they can continue looking after their dental hygiene.
When MC Community Care began, Halah said nobody was doing this type of work. She said MC Community Care is special because they engage with families to find out what they need and supply them with both the education and the resources to fulfill their needs. By doing so, Abed hopes to bring the community together and draw attention to those in need.
“By being an advocate for these families, it brings awareness of what is happening in our own backyard that we all turn eyes to,” she said.
Helping Creates More Helpers
Halah shares a story from last year’s back-to-school giveaway. A young man tapped her on her shoulder and asked for a hug. During their embrace, he said, “I just want you to know that you changed my life.” The man had attended six back-to-school giveaways with his grandmother. After growing up, he returned, not as someone in need but as a volunteer to give back to the community that helped him. Abed said it is stories like these that make the effort worth it.
“I think we all have a journey, and I think for a lot of the 85 volunteers, showing up every year is a part of their journey,” she said.
Event Details: Date, Time, and Location
MC Community Care’s “Back 2 School Backpack Giveaway” will take place on Sunday, August 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Men’s Closet, 5510 W. Colonial Dr, Orlando. Promotional flyers promise backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, hair braiding, a video game truck, food, entertainment, workshops, and more.
Registration and additional information, including how to donate via an Amazon registry or volunteer, is available here. Registration/event tickets do not guarantee a backpack. Backpacks are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, limited to one backpack per child. Children must be present with a parent or guardian to receive supplies.
Mike Synan
News | Sports | Politics
- After two decades in news and politics, Mike Synan is returning to his roots to write Sports as “The Sportsaholic”. Mike hosted a talk show for 6 years on WDBO after Magic home games called “Magic Til Midnight”, and spent years working as an in-game correspondent for both ESPN and Fox Sports Radio. His column “Synan Says” has appeared on both www.wdbo.com and www.floridadaily.com. He has a BS in Political Science from Clemson University. You can reach him at msynan@sportsmail.com
