Edmundite Missions threw a party Tuesday to help area youth get ready to head back to school.

They gave away school supplies, offered hair cuts for the boys and made sure every child who attended left with a slice of pizza.

“We call it a ‘Slice of Hope’ because as the kids leave, they get a slice of pizza, juice and chips,” said Chad McEachern, missions’ director. “[The children are] our hope for tomorrow.”

This was the second year the missions held the back to school party. Last year, the Edmundities gave away more than 800 bags of supplies, McEachern said.

More than 1,000 bags were prepared this year and within the first half hour, more than 500 of those had been given away.

“We like to care for our folks everyday and this is just another extension of what we feel we’re called to do to help them out,” McEachern said. “We figured it was a fun way to get people involved who are here everyday anyways. The Center of Hope here, most people feel like it’s theirs, so it’s like they’re coming into their living room or their dining room. So for them, it’s just coming home. That’s what we love about it.”

Monique Barnfield said she and her two sons visit the missions nearly every day, and she is thankful for their work in the community.

“It’s very helpful. Especially living in an area where the unemployment rate is high and then the poverty level is high. It’s just very helpful,” Barnfield said. “I am so thankful. My children love coming here every day, whether it’s the lunch or the dinner, they just love interacting especially with the older people. We just have a blast every time. It’s nothing but fun.”

Barnfield said she also donates her children’s uniforms that they’ve outgrown. She encourages other people to pay it forward too.

“As long as we give back, we’ll be able to receive,” Barnfield said.

This was the first year for free haircuts, and the long line of boys waiting their turn showed it was definitely needed, McEachern said.

“We partnered up with a barber, [Kairaba Tyus], who is doing a portion of them for free, and then we’re paying for the rest of them so that every child that wants a free haircut will get a free haircut,” McEachern said.

McEachern said offering haircuts and providing school supplies is a big help to many parents in the area, and it’s something that he and the other people at the missions enjoy doing.

“These school supplies are critical for their kids to stay in school, whether it’s helping with school uniforms or a notepad or whatever the case may be,” McEachern said.

“Sometimes those are the simplest things that keep the child out of school.”