NORFOLK, Va. - School is almost in session, and Friday, Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads held an event to help local military families get ready for the school year.
Kids got to enjoy one of the last days of summer while parents stocked up on some free school supplies.
The festivities were held at Cutter Athletic Park in Norfolk. There were bounce houses, pony rides, a petting zoo and more.
Organizers say this was their first in-person event since the start of the pandemic.
"This is actually our first in-person event that we've had since COVID, since March of 2020,” Eric Emerson, community recreation programmer, MWR told us. “So, we've been doing all drive-thru events since then, and we're excited to come out and support our Navy families and give them some school supplies and just give them a little sense of normalcy."
One attendee told us it felt great to get out and get some fresh air while seeing other families and friends they hadn’t seen in a long time.
Fourth grader Kambree Smith was surprised by the event and loved getting to stock up on new gear for the year.
"It's really exciting because I thought we were going to go to a school, and it's really cool that we actually came here. The favorite thing is probably getting new school supplies,” Smith said.
The goal was to give back to the military community and to also boost morale.
