Rev. Jonathan T. G. Wilkins Sr., senior pastor, poses as he holds one of the 2,500 backpacks to be donated to students pre-k through grade 12. Wilkins is joined by Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill and Angela Cesear lead person at the 2nd Annual Back-to-School Festival held at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Centreville Aug. 9.
Crowds flocked to the 2nd Annual Back-to-School Festival at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Centreville on Saturday, Aug. 9. Building on the previous year's success, church members aimed to more than double the number of free backpacks filled with the supplies students need for a strong school start. No registration was needed.
Church members had 2,725 backpacks this year, according to Deacon Prince Howard, the spokesperson. Aug. 18 is the first day of school for students in Fairfax County Public Schools. They also provided 1,132 lunches and 1,016 desserts. Approximately 3,600 people attended the 2025 festival supported by 268 volunteers.
Rev. Jonathan T.G. Wilkins Sr., senior pastor at Mount Olive Baptist Church, described the festival's purpose as easing the financial burden on families. By providing school supplies, the event aimed to help families struggling with rising costs due to inflation and tariff costs that have been passed on to consumers.
The price tag for back-to-school costs have increased in 2025, with families spending an average of $875 according to the National Retail Federation, “Back to basics: three ways the economy is impacting back-to-school this year," July 2025.”
Wilkins described the scene as "organized chaos" and emphasized that the festival's purpose was to connect divine resources with human needs. Wilkins said he was “overwhelmed with joy” watching the crowd and seeing their "excitement, relief, and love."
Due to the high attendance, many guests parked at the nearby Cinemark Centreville 12 movie theatre and took a shuttle to the church. The festival drew crowds with its free admission, giveaways, food trucks, a carnival, a bounce house, entertainment, and the distribution of one grade-appropriate supply-filled backpack each to students in pre-K through 12th grade.
Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill, who attended the event, acknowledged the high attendance as a sign of a larger systemic issue. "Obviously, it is a systemic problem when you have over 3,000 people showing up for last year's event," Hill said. He framed the core issue: "What are we going to do as a community to help focus on the folks that need the most help?"
Hill praised the church's efforts as a vital part of the community's mission to give students the tools they need to succeed. "We have a lot of issues in the county that we are trying to do as the government as well as the nonprofits as well as our faith-based. And that's what community is; it's about One Fairfax."
This year's free festival was a comprehensive community event offering a wide range of services and support. Dr. Sharmaine M. McCoy, president of the Health and Wellness Ministry at the church, highlighted the critical health services provided, including blood pressure screenings and pediatric dental check-ups, "If they are positive, then we're going to get them hooked up into the federally qualified health centers," McCoy explained. Immunizations and CPR demonstrations were also offered.The Potomac Health Foundation supported the efforts with a $125,000 grant.
Giant Pharmacy supplied the vaccines and the Maxey Foundation CPR demonstrations. Potomac Health Foundation supported project-Helping Everyone Access Resources for Total Heart Health (HEART) that allowed the church to address food insecurity and screen community members for undiagnosed hypertension.
The event also offered other services, including free haircuts and styling, a college fair, and free distribution of non-perishable food.
The event's success was a testament to the community's support. Its funding relied on donations from local businesses, organizations, and church members. Among the sponsors were United Healthcare, Infinite Legacy, Hamm Consulting Group, LLC, and the JGH Educational and Charitable Foundation.
Volunteer organizations and individuals played a crucial role in the event's logistics. James Sobecke, operations division lead for Fairfax County's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), discussed the team's role in managing the crowds through systematic planning, organizing with a detailed site plan that included factors such as venue capacity, entrance and exit points, and the placement of barriers and staffed tents.The team drew upon a post-event analysis and debriefing following last year’s inaugural event as a crucial step in understanding what worked, what didn’t and made changes.
Volunteers like Coreck Paton emphasized the importance of service. "I want to do whatever I can to help as many people as I can, from any walk of life. We want to put a smile on anybody's faces that just need to smile. Let them know that people out here love them," Paton said.
Looking ahead, Wilkins announced plans to expand the initiative. "We don't want to be the only church doing this," Wilkins said. Wilkins said church members plan to partner with other congregations across Fairfax County to double the festival's capacity and share their model with other communities. The ultimate goal, Wilkins said, is "to ensure no child in Fairfax or even Prince William County goes without a backpack. That's our dream."
It's a basketball shootout for Linda Recinos, 4; Gabrielito, 6; and Andy, 9, of Chantilly, after they received their donated backpacks stuffed with grade-appropriate school supplies.