Eastside families can find free backpacks, school uniforms, shoes, haircuts and dental screenings at New Direction Church’s Back to School Block Party.

The event is expected to span six blocks along 38th Street. Attendees will also have opportunities to connect with community organizations and career resources. Plus, more than 30 food trucks will set up for the Saturday event.

The block party runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 25. Activities will stretch from Hawthorne Lane to Audubon Road along 38th Street. Attendance is free.

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Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.

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Indy church to give away school supplies at eastside block party

by Carley Lanich, Mirror Indy
July 21, 2026

<h1>Indy church to give away school supplies at eastside block party</h1> <p class="byline">by Carley Lanich, Mirror Indy <br />July 21, 2026</p> <p>Eastside families can find free backpacks, school uniforms, shoes, haircuts and dental screenings at <a href="https://ndcbetterlife.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://ndcbetterlife.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New Direction Church’s</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1cKq8br2i4/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1cKq8br2i4/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Back to School Block Party</a>.</p> <p>The event is expected to span six blocks along 38th Street. Attendees will also have opportunities to connect with community organizations and career resources. Plus, more than 30 food trucks will set up for the Saturday event.</p> <p>The block party runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 25. Activities will stretch from <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/wTQqbubLFV3VfPbc8" data-type="link" data-id="https://maps.app.goo.gl/wTQqbubLFV3VfPbc8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hawthorne Lane to Audubon Road along 38th Street</a>. Attendance is free.</p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-eastside-new-direction-church-back-school-block-party-backpack-giveaway-summer-2026/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org&quot;&gt;Mirror Indy&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-Mirror-Indy-square-logo-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=85887&amp;amp;ga4=G-X0R0QW371R&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-eastside-new-direction-church-back-school-block-party-backpack-giveaway-summer-2026/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mirrorindy.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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