Tetra Tech Hosts Backpack Giveaway and Back to School BBQ for Camp Fire Victims
Providing school supplies and joy for the community of Paradise, California, to kick off a new school year
Tetra Tech is supporting the town of Paradise, California, to rebuild after the town was destroyed by fire, providing both technical support and charitable outreach.
Tetra Tech is working as part of a team lead by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to help the town of Paradise, California, rebuild after the community was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire. Tetra Tech is performing various environmental tasks, as well as the documentation of disaster debris removal. Almost 3.5 million tons of contaminated material has already been removed. The amount of debris that will be removed by the end of this project will almost fill a professional football stadium!
Nine months after their town was destroyed by the fire, students and their families are preparing for a new school year. Tetra Tech helped them start fresh by giving away backpacks and school supplies at our Paradise Packs and Back to School BBQ on August 10, 2019.
We partnered with the Paradise Unified School District and Paradise Parks and Recreation Department to host the event at Paradise’s Aquatic Park. More than 1,000 people enjoyed catered BBQ from Foodie Café, face painting, kindness star painting, and live music performed by Tetra Tech team members. More than 100 Tetra Tech staff volunteered to make this event possible. The face painting and star painting were huge hits with the younger children.
In addition to the backpacks and school supplies donated by Tetra Tech, local communities donated books, learning materials, and school supplies to the event. The event quickly filled with families as they collected what they needed for the upcoming school year. Within a few hours, we gave away more than 730 backpacks! Once the school year begins, we will work with the Paradise Unified School District to provide grade specific school supplies directly to schools in need.
As families enjoyed the food and activities in the park, they also had the opportunity to check in at Tetra Tech’s information booth for updates on their homes. Our work with CalOES and CalRecycle has supported the cleanup of more than 10,000 properties, enabling many families to begin the rebuilding process. Our volunteers reported feeling fortunate to bring joy to these families in need and share how we are Leading with Science® to restore their community.
Local media including television, radio, and newspapers covered the event. View the Action News Now coverage of the event.
