More than 1,500 received items like groceries, coats, shoes and fellowship at the Hope For Athens event in 2021. File photo

With Alabama’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday in full swing this weekend, giving kids an auspicious early start on the upcoming academic year already is on the minds of many local families.

But the tax holiday isn’t the only way to help children prepare for success this weekend. From 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, the Athens-Limestone Ministerial Alliance (ALMA) will host Hope for Athens, a free charitable event that includes family fun and games alongside a broad array of cost-free services and resources for children.

Held at the Athens Middle School gymnasium (100 U.S. Highway 31 in Athens), the two-hour event requires no eligibility checks, no checking of ID, and no age restrictions for the children who benefit.

In addition to sending families home with free resources that include groceries, children’s shoes, winter coats, and more, the faith-based outreach also will offer a number of cost-free services on site. Those include haircuts, hearing tests, vision screening, oral hygiene examinations, “and prayer,” according to organizers, alongside a family fun zone and accompanying kids’ activities.

Visit the event’s Facebook page here for more information.

If you’re planning to shop for school essentials this weekend, remember: the Alabama Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday continues from now until the stroke of midnight on Sunday, July 20. During the holiday period, state and local sales taxes are waived for qualifying purchases at retail stores in Athens, Ardmore, and Elkmont, as well as all throughout Limestone County.