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Whittier Street Health Center’s Back to School BBQ

Whittier Street Health Center’s Back to School BBQ

Let’s give a major cheer for another school year!

Back to school season is in full swing and many parents are searching for answers as to how they will pay for their children’s school supplies. According to Deloitte’s 2022 back-to-school survey, parents plan to spend an average of $661 per child for back-to-school shopping this year, up 8% from 2021 and 27% from 2019. Clothing and accessories lead the increase, costing 18% more this year on average. School supplies cost 7% more. In 2022, 33% of parents reported being in a worse financial situation than the year prior, compared to 22% who said the same thing in 2021. As the cost of maintaining a household with children continues to soar, so do the concrete needs of our community.

To provide some needed relief to families, on Friday August 26th from 2pm-6pm, Whittier Street Health Center in partnership with GE Aviation, will hold their annual Back to School BBQ in the health center parking lot at 1290 Tremont Street, Roxbury. The Back to School BBQ has been a Whittier tradition since 2003 to provide the students in our community with materials needed to ensure they are ready for the start of the school year. The event is also an opportunity for families to connect and enjoy their community with a day of food, fun and celebration.

Whittier’s patient population consists of a diverse group of individuals; 92% of them live below 200% of the US poverty level, additionally 83% of them live in public housing. That is why events like our Back to School BBQ are so important because it offers families a refuge from worry about how to prepare students with what they need for the upcoming school year. This year, with the incredibly generous contributions from GE Aviation, we will be giving away over 500 backpacks filled with school supplies including folders, pencils, pens and spiral notebooks to children under the age of 18.

 

Accepting new patients!

Pediatrics department: 617 858 2436

Behavioral Health department: 617 858 2430

A note about Whittier and COVID-19

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in our area, we ask all clients and patients to call ahead before coming to any of our sites. We are working to take care of most clients/patients via phone/video encounter so we can meet your ongoing healthcare needs. This is for your safety and so we can provide the highest quality of care to you while following CDC guidance for COVID-19. Please call 617-427-1000 for any questions or concerns.

Whittier will provide COVID-19 testing from 10 am to 4 pm on Monday to Friday. Following CDC guidance, we recommend testing if you have a fever AND one of the following three symptoms: cough OR shortness of breath OR sore throat. Please bring your picture identification and your insurance card (if you have insurance).