On Sunday, July 19, a collection of artists, creators, and community organizations will be at the Community Arts Workshop (631 Garden St.) for a mini-market and donation event to raise funds for this year’s Santa Barbara School Supply Drive. The school supply drive, which will be held at Ortega Park on August 1, has provided hundreds of local students with backpacks full of supplies each year for the past seven years.
The mini-market event will feature live music, food, a raffle giveaway, and more than a dozen pop-up vendors, ranging from clothing to handmade accessories to custom glamour portraits, coffee, baked goods, art, flower bouquets and more. Proceeds from purchases, raffle tickets, and donations will go directly to supplies such as notebooks, binders, planners, pencils, pens, highlighters, folders, sticky notes, crayons, and colored pencils that will be given to children in need free of charge.
Originally started as a grassroots project put together by Eastside locals in 2020, the Santa Barbara School Supply Drive has grown each year, raising more than $30,000 and handing out a combined 1,750 backpacks filled with supplies over the past six years. Supply drive organizer Valerie Jaimes, a Santa Barbara High School graduate, says the annual event is intended to close the resource gap for local families who struggle to keep up with the increasing costs of education.
“There is a real need for school supplies among underserved youth in Santa Barbara,” Jaimes wrote in a GoFundMe post, where community members can donate to support the drive.
Last year, the group raised a record $11,411 and provided 420 backpacks, more than doubling the yearly goal of $5,000 raised for supplies. This year, the group is hoping the community will show up to support through the mini-market, which is a new addition to the school supply fundraising effort.
Vendors at Sunday’s mini-market include artists Vero Sanchez (@v3ro.artist) and Adriana Arriaga (@adrianalaartista), traditional Mexican clothing shop Mundo Infantil & Tuxedo (@mundo.infantil.sb), glamour portrait photographer Cher Martinez (@cherthismoment), floral arrangements by Monchis Flowers (@monchisflowers), and homemade crafts from Corazón Latino Customs (@corazon_latino_customs), Helios (@helios_sb), and Maria Jimenez (@customcraftsbymariaj).
Community resources such as the Su’nan Protection, Arts & Cultural Education (@sunanthespace) and Ortega Park steering committee (@ortegaparksb) will also be tabling to provide information and lead crafting activities.
For those attending the event, raffle tickets can be purchased for a chance to win prizes such as a free one-hour photo shoot with Cher Martinez, a gift card from Chaucer’s Books, a free nail set from licensed technician Nails by Dani, a hand made piece from A Happy Mush jewelry, and more. One $5 raffle ticket will be able to provide three school supply items, and three tickets will support the cost of a backpack.
Donations can also be made directly through Venmo (@SBSchoolSupplyDrive) or GoFundMe. All supplies purchased through the fundraiser will be distributed to youth on Saturday, August 1, at Ortega Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Youth volunteers or organizations interested in supporting this year’s school supply drive can reach out to Jaimes through the GoFundMe contact page.
“We plan to create an empowering space that day, in collaboration with the Ortega Park Steering Committee, that will encourage youth through art workshops, youth activities, entertainment, and more,” Jaimes said. “We have been intentional to partner with youth leaders in the community each year and have had the support of various community organizations. This wouldn’t be possible without each other!”
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