Back-to-school season can get expensive and complicated quickly. Between school supplies, well-child visits, immunizations, sports physicals and everything else that comes with getting children ready for another year, August can put additional pressure on family schedules and budgets across the 98848.
Quincy Community Health Center hopes to make at least part of that process a little easier Thursday when its annual Back to School Health Fair returns to Quincy.
The free community event is designed to help families prepare for the new school year while introducing them to healthcare services, government agencies and other resources available locally. Mary Jo Ybarra-Vega of Quincy Community Health Center said the event is also intended to recognize families who have already taken care of important back-to-school health needs.
“We’re positively reinforcing parents who are getting their kids vaccinated and ready for school,” Ybarra-Vega said. “Basically, we wanna get people ready for back to school.”
TL;DR
What: Quincy Community Health Center Back to School Health Fair
When: Thursday, August 13, 2026, from 2–6 p.m.
Where: Port of Quincy Event Center
Cost: Free
School supplies will be available to community families while supplies last.
Quincy Community Health Center patients who meet the event’s requirements can receive a “golden ticket” for additional back-to-school items.
Health center departments, community organizations, first responders and the DSHS CSO Mobile team are expected to participate.
Families can learn about well-child exams, immunizations, sports physicals and other services available through Quincy Community Health Center.
The event will also include a DJ, professional face painting, prizes and other family activities.
This year’s theme celebrates the World Cup, and families are encouraged to wear their favorite soccer or team jersey.
More Than a School Supply Giveaway
School supplies will certainly be one reason families come through the doors Thursday, but Ybarra-Vega emphasized that the Back to School Health Fair was built to do more than hand out pencils and notebooks.
The event began more than 20 years ago on a much smaller scale, initially centered around giving away backpacks. Over time, it grew to include health information, community organizations, local partners, entertainment and opportunities for families to learn about services they may not otherwise know are available.
Ybarra-Vega said previous fairs have drawn between 300 and 600 people.
This year, school supplies will again be available to the community on a first-come, first-served basis. With many students now using Chromebooks instead of carrying stacks of textbooks, the health center has also changed some of what it gives away. Chromebook covers will be among the choices available this year, along with some backpacks and age-appropriate school supply packages.
Ybarra-Vega said budgets are tighter this year for both organizations and families, making it especially important to be clear that supplies are limited.
“Going back to school is expensive,” she said, adding that what the health center can provide is intended as a starter for families rather than everything a student will need.
Getting Kids Ready for School Includes Their Health
The other half of the event is right in its name.
Quincy Community Health Center is encouraging parents to use the beginning of the school year as a reminder to check on well-child exams, immunizations and sports physicals.
For health center patients, staff at the fair can also help families who realize they still need an appointment. Ybarra-Vega said staff have previously been able to work with parents at the event to schedule well-child visits, sometimes finding openings the same day or later that week.
Families whose children are already up to date with the health center’s requirements may receive what staff call a “golden ticket.” At the fair, those tickets can be exchanged for a choice of available back-to-school items and supplies.
The idea, Ybarra-Vega said, is to positively reinforce parents who have already taken the steps needed to get their children ready for school while creating an opportunity for other families to get caught up.
The fair is not intended to function as a large on-site health screening event. Ybarra-Vega said factors such as summer heat and wildfire smoke can affect measurements such as blood pressure, so the emphasis this year will be on information, resources and helping families connect with the appropriate services.
Bringing Community Resources Into One Room
Families will also have an opportunity to learn about resources that have little to do with a traditional doctor’s appointment.
Different departments from Quincy Community Health Center will be represented, along with community organizations and partners that work with local children and families. First responders are also expected to participate.
Among those partners is the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services’ CSO Mobile team.
The mobile team can help eligible residents with services including food benefits and assistance for people who are aged, blind or disabled, as well as benefit updates and renewals. Ybarra-Vega said having representatives physically present can make a complicated process much easier for residents who would otherwise have to navigate it by telephone or online.
For someone eligible for food benefits, she said, the difference can be substantial. At a CSO Mobile visit, staff can work through the process in person and, when appropriate, provide an activated benefits card that can be used immediately.
The Back to School Health Fair gives families an opportunity to make those connections while already attending an event designed around children and the start of school.
A Health Fair That Is Supposed to Feel Like a Celebration
Despite the word “health” in the title, families shouldn’t expect Thursday’s event to feel like an afternoon sitting in a doctor’s office.
There will be a DJ, professional face painting, a back-to-school bingo activity and prizes. Ybarra-Vega said there is usually plenty of music and dancing as families move through the event.
This year’s theme looks ahead to the World Cup, and attendees are encouraged to wear a favorite soccer jersey or represent their favorite team. Organizers are even planning a large soccer-ball character for children to take pictures with.
That atmosphere is intentional.
The health center has held the event for roughly two decades, and what began with backpacks and a few activities has developed into a regular community gathering. The fair also coincides with National Health Center Week and gives residents a chance to meet health center staff and learn more about what the organization provides throughout the year.
“I think it’s our opportunity to kinda share about our clinic,” Ybarra-Vega said.
What This Means to You
For families across the 98848, Thursday’s event offers several reasons to stop by.
Parents who could use some help with school supplies may be able to pick up starter supplies while they last. Families with questions about well-child exams, immunizations, sports physicals or other health services can talk directly with people from the health center. Residents who need help navigating government or community resources can meet some of those organizations face-to-face.
Families can also simply come enjoy the event.
That may be one of the reasons the health fair has continued for more than 20 years. Instead of asking families to make separate trips to find healthcare information, community resources, school supplies and family activities, the event brings many of those pieces together in one place.
One More Step Toward the First Day of School
August always seems to move faster once the first day of school gets close. Supplies need to be purchased, appointments need to be made, sports begin ramping up and family schedules start shifting from summer back toward the school-year routine. Just today the morning podcast was loaded with multiple pieces of back to school information. School will be back in session sooner than people realize, we are only 15 days out.
The Back to School Health Fair won’t check every item off that list, and organizers are clear that available school supplies are limited.
What it can do is give families across the 98848 one place to ask questions, discover resources, pick up some help for the school year and spend an afternoon together before summer gives way to another school year.
For a community event that started more than two decades ago with a few backpacks, that remains a pretty practical way to help Quincy families get ready.
Quincy Community Health Center Back to School Health Fair
Thursday, August 13 | 2–6 p.m.
Port of Quincy Event Center
Free and open to the community
School supplies available while supplies last.
