ELKHART – Long lines at the mall.
Sounds like something we'd tell you about three months from now on Black Friday, but lines snaked around the Concord Mall on Saturday with people who waited since 8:00 p.m. Friday to get free school supplies, shoes and backpacks.
A number of organizations worked together to make a difference to provide 5,000 backpacks and supplies to families in need.
There's nothing like being number one, and when you looked at the long line outside Concord Mall, it was easy to see why.
Brian Maust and his son Arick led the pack, spending the night outside the mall, getting in line at 8:00 p.m. They sat in the rain and cold overnight to get first dibs on new school supplies, shoes and backpacks.
“It wasn’t too bad once it stopped raining,” said Brian. “Not too much different doing it for Black Friday.”
But there was one thing better than being first. That's getting all of the school essentials absolutely FREE.
Angel Shaw also waited hours in line “for the school supplies and backpacks, the shoes. “It’ll really help out,” she said. “I’ve got three children, so that’s a lot of money (saved).”
While the lines continued to grow, volunteers inside got an early start. Many were there at 3:00 a.m. to get things ready inside Concord Mall.
Volunteers worked like a well-oiled machine. They got the school supplies out of the box on the table and ready for the people standing in line for when they came in.
Volunteers worked quickly to get people through the line, but they had plenty of time to add a personal touch.
“It’s about serving the communities, serving our children and all the community organizations coming together to serve the community,” said Back2School organizer Diane Montiel.
