Helping Tucson students: Free supplies and haircuts for back-to-school | Local News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – Children’s Clinics and Mercy Care teamed up to assist students in need. The annual Back-to-School Fair took place with a focus on helping students and their families prepare for the upcoming school year.

Big-name brands like Supercuts, QuikTrip and Walmart contributed to the event by offering guests free backpacks filled with school supplies, haircuts and other classroom essentials.

“We take care of over 5,000 kids with medical complexity. Over 85 percent of them are financially disadvantaged and receiving support from Medicaid and other agencies and so this is an opportunity for us to really help them set up for success for the new school year ahead,” said Gemma Thomas, chief administrative officer.

“We get to meet new people… We get to meet new people and we get tattoos,” said the Figueora family.

Thomas also mentioned that the organization is distributing 600 backpacks filled with supplies to those in need, not only during the event but throughout the next week as well.

The event was held at the Children’s Clinic from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on July 11, 2025.