For thousands of San Gabriel Valley families, the new school year begins not with a shopping trip but with a single festive day at the racetrack. On Wednesday, July 29, the Foothill Unity Center hosts its annual Back-to-School Event at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., outfitting students from low-income families with what they need to start the year with confidence.
The daylong event transforms the park’s concourse into what one young participant once called “a whole mall for kids.” Children from transitional kindergarten (TK) through college receive backpacks, school supplies, books and shoe vouchers, along with free haircuts and manicures provided by cosmetology students from Citrus College and on-site health and dental screenings. A DJ keeps the energy high while hundreds of volunteers staff distribution tables, guiding each child through the day so no one leaves without what they came for.
The center expects to serve as many as 2,000 students. Founded in 1980, the Foothill Unity Center is the federally designated Community Action Agency for the foothill area and the primary nonprofit provider of food, crisis case management and health care access across 11 San Gabriel Valley cities, including Pasadena, Altadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre and Arcadia.
Families who wish to receive services must register in advance and meet income guidelines. The center also invites the wider community to take part — as recipients, as donors helping cover supplies and shoe vouchers, or as volunteers on event day. For a region where many working families still struggle to afford the basics, the gathering offers both practical help and a confident send-off into the new year.
The Foothill Unity Center Back-to-School Event will be held on Wednesday, July 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Santa Anita Park, 285 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia. To register, confirm eligibility, donate or volunteer, call (626) 358-3486 or visit foothillunitycenter.org.
