EAST BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Two local students spent their summer planning an event to give back to their neighbors in East Bakersfield. The free thrift shop pop-up is coming up on July 30 from 4 to 6 p.m.
- Video shows two of Children First's summer interns sharing their summer project: creating a free clothing pop-up event for the Bakersfield community. Through the event, they say they hope to make clothing accessible for all.
- The pop-up thrift shop event is on July 30 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the David Nelson Pocket Park on Niles Street. The event is free for the entire community, and there will be a raffle, painting activities and other free resources available.
- Donations for the thrift shop event can be brought to the final collection event on Saturday, July 27 from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the David Nelson Pocket Park on Niles Street.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
For many students, summer is a time for relaxation and enjoying the sunshine, but for two local students, it was a time to plan how they could give back to their community in East Bakersfield, where they grew up.
“We definitely have a history of just being a part of this community and kind of just being connected towards it," Ramia Lorein said.
Ramia Lorein and Belen Osorio grew up on the east side of Bakersfield. They say in the last few years, they’ve seen prices go up.
“I’ve seen a lot of times, with like students and even some of my friends, that they just feel overwhelmed with expenses and costs,” Lorein said.
This summer, they’re part of the student intern program with Children First, a nonprofit focused on providing opportunities for youth.
Their summer internship project? Create and plan an outreach event to answer a need in East Bakersfield.
“What could we do for our community? What would our community want to see?” Belen Osorio asked.
With back-to-school season right around the corner, they said they decided to collect clothing donations and plan a pop-up thrift shop at David Nelson Pocket Park on July 30.
They say they hope this event eases costs for families in back-to-school season.
This summer, the National Retail Federation published its annual survey in collaboration with Proper Insights & Analytics. The survey estimates families with elementary through high school students will spend around $875 on back-to-school shopping for supplies, clothes and technology.
“Being able to make an event that can just serve [the community] and serve the people that basically kind of served us when we were younger, it’s something that we just wanted to give back to,” Lorein said.
All month, they’ve collected and sorted donations, and they say they hope to make quality clothes accessible to everyone through this free event.
“We looked at some of these stores that are considered thrift shops," Osorio said. "What might be reachable to us, or someone else, is not reachable for the entire community.”
As the event approaches, Lorein and Osorio say they hope their community takes advantage of this resource.
“We genuinely hope that everyone has a great time and knows that the Eastside community is here to support each other,” Osorio said.
If you have any clothes you'd like to donate to the thrift shop event, you can bring donations to their collection event on Saturday, July 27 from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the David Nelson Pocket Park on Niles Street. The pop-up event is on July 30 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., also at the pocket park.
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