Rain did not stop families from gathering at Brandon Park on Aug. 16 for a back-to-school giveaway organized by McCaskey alumni Meyzhon Stewart and Miskaila Beato.
Their first back-to-school giveaway provided 160 backpacks filled with school supplies, along with additional supplies for students who needed them. Volunteer barbers and hairstylists offered free haircuts and styles, while family members and other volunteers prepared food for those who attended.
For Stewart and Beato, the day was about returning some of the support they received growing up in Lancaster.
Stewart recently returned home after serving in the United States Army, including four and a half years stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. A 2023 McCaskey graduate who attended Price Elementary and Wheatland Middle School, he said coming home gave him an opportunity to reconnect with the community that helped shape him.
“I just felt as though I had a need to give back to the community that raised me and made me the man I am today,” Stewart said. “It is a blessing that I’m able to do this.”
Beato, a 2022 McCaskey graduate, attended Washington Elementary and Lincoln Middle School before McCaskey. She is currently a senior at Bloomsburg University studying business management and hopes to one day own and manage her own beauty bar.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Beato said her experiences have shaped the way she thinks about giving back. “We feel so blessed with our life that we just always wanted to give back,” she said. “Not everybody is as fortunate to have the life that we have right now.”
Much of the giveaway was made possible through donations from the community. Stewart and Beato purchased supplies themselves, while community members donated backpacks and school supplies, dropped off items at their home and contributed money toward additional purchases.
Friends, relatives and other volunteers also stepped forward to provide haircuts, hairstyles and food. For Stewart and Beato, seeing so many people willing to help was part of what made their first event meaningful, especially as families continued to show up despite the rain.
For Stewart, seeing students preparing to return to some of the same schools he once attended made the day especially personal.
“These are our community, people we grew up with, the teachers and everything,” he said. “It’s a blessing.”
Jassinya Alvarado, SDoL Director of Educational Access and Student Service, said seeing alumni return to support current students speaks to the connections that can remain long after graduation.
“It shows value as to what the district means to them and their willingness to give back,” Alvarado said. “There are young people who are willing and able to give back in a way that, even if it’s not through a formal partnership, is going to be meaningful for students, especially as it relates to them getting back to school prepared with the materials that they need.”
Stewart and Beato said they hope the Brandon Park giveaway becomes an annual event. They are already thinking about their next effort, which would provide food, hygiene products and other everyday necessities to people experiencing homelessness.
Before wrapping up the day, Stewart had one more message for the educators who supported him along the way. “Thank you, SDoL. They made me the person I am today,” he said. “Thank you to every single teacher from kindergarten the whole way to my senior year. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”