Local businesses team up for a back-to-school event 

Photos by Brenda Gonzalez

On Aug. 21 The Village Bank, Mobar, Healthy Waltham, Global Thrift, Shopper’s Café and Joco’s Kitchen & Bar gave back to the Waltham community with free haircuts, school supplies and food. 

Waltham residents lined up on the corner of Moody and Crescent streets to enjoy snow cones, ice cream and school supplies before the start of a new school year, all at no cost. 

Global Thrift donated 100 backpacks filled with school supplies as their way of “helping out the community,” said employee Vinny DeCarolis. 

Known for being the barber for the Boston Celtics, Mobar founder Coco Fernandez used the event to remember his roots and give back to the community. 

Early in his career, Fernandez gave free haircuts to kids in need, and he wanted to continue this tradition.

“Watching it build this much. It’s like, it’s like this fulfilling … feeling that I can’t explain. It’s like butterflies and all sorts of, like, jitters,” he said. 

Something as simple as a haircut lit up kids’ faces, instilling a sense of confidence as they left the chair. 

“That’s what this is about – having the kids feel good as they’re getting ready for school, helping the community, serving the community. That’s what we love to do,” said The Village Bank President and CEO Joseph De Vito. 

One Waltham resident described getting her child ready for school as “stressful” but a new haircut makes her son feel “like a million bucks.”

The event gave her “one less thing I have to worry about,” she said. 

“I think it’s just something special [that] makes [the kids] feel good about themselves starting school,” said 15-year Waltham resident Amy Corbett. 

While the event centered on giving resources before the new school year, Fernandez emphasized the broader mission of his nonprofit, No Barriers, which centers on youth development through sports, partnership with local businesses and events like this one. 

“When it comes to events like this, I just want parents and everybody in the city to know, like, this isn’t the only time or place where if you’re in a struggle, you can come see us,” he said. “If you’re part of this community and you can’t afford a resource, we’ll be here for you between … Mobar and No Barriers.”