Aug. 22 will be a big day for back-to-school resources for families in Federal Way.

The third annual Back 2 School Free Haircuts event will run from from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 22 in Town Square Park, located at 31600 Pete von Reichbauer Way S. Kids and teens ages 5 to 18 are invited to receive the free haircuts from local hairstyling professionals from Bella Red, Life’s Styles and more, all while enjoying live music from a DJ and other fun entertainment.

Also in its third annual installment, the Back-to-School Bash is the same day, just down the street, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 22 at the Commons Mall, in the parking lot behind the Dick’s Sporting Goods. It will include free food distribution, free backpacks, gift card giveaways and a range of fun entertainment and activities for kids and families. Families can look forward to bouncy houses, cotton candy, live music and more.

This will be the biggest year yet, as the event will include 35,000 pounds of food for free distribution through Convoy of Hope. The food will include pantry staples that can help families fill their cupboards before the school year starts.

The Back-to-School Bash will be hosted by the Table, a church inside the Commons Mall that has partnered with other local churches and service organizations to put on the event.

School supplies will mostly be in the form of free backpacks because Federal Way Public Schools provides school supplies like pencils, paper and notebooks for free to students.

This is why local back-to-school fundraisers like Red Canoe Credit Union’s annual Fill the Canoe Back to School Drive, which ends Aug. 15, has shifted their focus over the years to work on fundraising and donation efforts on backpacks specifically.

Backpacks distributed at the Table’s event will come from this fundraiser and donation drive along with support from their partner churches. There is still time to donate and make sure that there are plenty of backpacks to go around for students in Federal Way.

Students get the chance to pick out which backpack they want to take home at last year’s Back-to-School Bash. Photo provided by the Table.

The Table

For the Table, this event is just one of many that speaks to their core mission as a church, which is what led them to put on their first Back-to-School Bash only four months after the church began.

Supported by their parent church Venture, the Table was started in 2022 by Beth and Greg Backes, who wanted to create a “a thriving multiethnic church” that was “actively reaching the community.”

Having a church inside a mall has some interesting differences from other churches, Associate Pastor Arianna Gomez de la Mora told the Mirror.

Their church office hours align with the mall’s hours, meaning they have an open door for anyone who might walk by. This means that on any given day, she might be writing a sermon or planning an event and get interrupted by someone who may need resources or be curious about the church.

While this does mean that “you just never know what a day is going to be like,” Gomez de la Mora said this dynamic is positive.

“It’s just a really cool opportunity to engage with the community and keep us really focused and connected to what is going on and Federal Way,” she said.

The congregation at the Table is about 100 people, but they hope to serve 1,500 at the Back to School Bash. To make it happen, they are joining forces with several other churches and organizations to have the people power needed to put it all together.

This goal of serving many people, even with a small congregation, has guided their work from the beginning.

One tool that is helping do that is called CarePortal, which is a platform where churches, communities and professionals can submit or help meet urgent needs of children and families in crisis.

This means that they can work easily with other churches and local groups to coordinate support, rather than having to each manage it only within their own network.

“It’s just been a blessing to be able to pull off a big community event like this…I really feel like it’s even just a testimony of what we can do when we come together,” Gomez de la Mora said.

These many volunteers will be necessary to make sure all the entertainment goes smoothly, which will include fun activities including live music, gift card giveaways, face painting, cotton candy, games and bouncy houses.

The whole Federal Way community gets together to make sure kids get to start the school year with a fresh cut, whether that is from the Table’s event like in this picture, or at the large free haircutting event put on by the city and local salons and barbershops in Town Square Park. Photo provided by the Table.

More back-to-school resources

Aug. 26

Pasifika Scholars Kick-Off: The Pacific Islanders Community Association of Washington is hosting a free community back to school event from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 26 at their office in Federal Way located at 33710 9th Ave. S. Suite 8. Free backpacks and school supplies, food and cotton candy, haircuts, facepainting and games and activities will all be available.

Aug. 30

Kids Clothing Swap: Come and discover a variety of new-to-you clothing items for free while you take the time to clean out those outgrown sizes and prepare for the upcoming school year from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 30. This swap is a chance to refresh your children’s wardrobes as well as a way to promote sustainability by giving clothes a second life. This event will take place at the South King Tool Library, located at 1700 S. 340th Place in Federal Way.

Sept. 6

Back to School Block Party: The Back to School Block Party will be coming up on Sept. 6. The family event will be put on by Game of Life Mentoring and hosted by Phenomenal She.

These two organizations are based in Federal Way and provide empowering opportunities for youth to be their best selves.

The annual block party is returning this year from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 6 at the Federal Way Memorial Field, located at 1300 S. 308th St. It will feature food vendors, backpack giveaways, resource fairs, speakers, free haircuts and performances.