As the end of summer nears, students are getting ready to return to school. The parents of 400 Dayton-area students got some help on Saturday from the Second Annual Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway hosted by the Dayton Police Department and Dayton Volunteer Fire Department.
A steady stream of children and their parents made their way through the Dayton fire station to pick up Dayton ISD-approved clear backpacks loaded with some of the items the children will need when school resumes on Aug. 15. After collecting their backpacks, the children and their families were treated to free hot dogs provided by firefighters.
“Without the support of the community, we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” said Tammy Alexander, administrator for Dayton Police Department and one of the organizers of the event.
The backpacks were purchased through donations from the Dayton Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors Club and the Rotary Club of Dayton. School supplies were donated by local businesses, organizations and individuals.
Vax-a-Nation, a mobile vaccination clinic that works through the Texas Department of Health’s Vaccines for Children program, provided low-cost immunizations to help children get current on their immunization schedule before returning to school.
“Last year we had 200 backpacks and quickly ran out, so this year we doubled the amount we gave out. It was a great turnout and we all had a good time,” Alexander said. “We appreciate the community’s support for this event.”
Dayton City Councilman and firefighter Alvin Burress, Barbara Criner and Dana Burress came out to support the backpack giveaway sponsored by Dayton Fire Department and Dayton Police Department on Saturday. 
Volunteers on Saturday distributed 400 backpacks to children in the Dayton community. The giveaway was organized by Dayton Police Department and Dayton Fire Department. Pictured left to right are Barbara Criner, Patricia White, Allyssa Salazar and Tabitha Manuel with Eastgate Church,, Amanda Wessels with Texas Diamond Realty and Tammy Alexander with Dayton Police Department. 
Santiago Castilleja and Mayleth Trinidad were among the children who turned out Saturday for the backpack and school supply giveaway sponsored by the Dayton Fire Department and Dayton Police Department.