More than 500 students from Moniteau County schools, including homeschoolers, took home school supplies from the recent Moniteau County Alliance for Kids Back-to-School Fair at California High School.
"Our mission is to serve any kid needing supplies and screenings," board member Andrea Hughes said.
In its eighth year, the event includes health screenings for vision, dental, blood pressure, height and weight, hearing and scoliosis, which are sent directly to the student's school.
The vendors were relocated to the gym this year, which provided more space for families to visit with the various representatives from youth activities and support programs.
The alliance would not be able to offer this one-stop shop to Moniteau County parents without the support of the community and volunteer help, Hughes noted. The event is the organization's sole initiative.
The five health screenings are a major draw, providing parents with one location to fulfill all the school's requirements.
Melissa Stephenson, with KidSight of Columbia, provided the vision exam using a camera-sized scanner, looking for near- and far-sightedness, astigmatism, lazy eye and other abnormalities.
The organization participates in several similar back-to-school events, even screening non-school-aged siblings.
"Vision is so closely tied to learning," she said.
Latham siblings Laila and Shaun Gilpin, ages 10 and 8, picked up some new books, courtesy of the United Way of Central Missouri and Scholastic, as well as some school supplies.
Blake Summers, 7, signed up for Cub Scouts at the vendor table hosted by Kris Andrae, Boy Scouts Five Rivers District executive. Andrae, in his first day on the job, provided a chance for children to do some leather stamping.
Keoni Phouangsyvanith, 7, picked a new backpack and filled it with age-appropriate supplies, as well as a bag of hygiene items.
Helping in the music room, Tipton seventh-grader Evan Rex and Smith-Cotton eighth-grader Carson Hanolt handed out the hygiene items. Rex has been volunteering at the event with his family for years. Hanolt, on the other hand, saw the four-hour event as an opportunity to earn volunteer hours toward his Junior National Honor Society quota.
"If they can't afford it, they've still got this," Rex said. "I think this helps out a lot."