Adam Lee of Auburn helps Jack Blais, 5, select a face mask at the PAL Center in Auburn on Thursday as his mother, Amanda Nolin, watches. A coalition of community organizations called Auburn Strong gave away backpacks, school supplies, face masks and information about going back to school. This is the eighth year the Immigrant Resource Center, Auburn Recreation and the PAL Center have pooled resources, Fatuma Hussein of the Immigrant Resources Center said. “This is just the first day,” Auburn Recreation Director Sabrina Best said. Auburn Strong is hoping to have a weekly presence in the area to deliver a constant message about COVID-19 related issues, Best said. A similar event will occur in Lewiston’s Kennedy Park on Sept. 11, Hussein said. Blais will start kindergarten at Washburn Elementary School on Sept. 14. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Nurta Hade, left, helps Erika Mentink and her two children, Tilleul and Bond, pick out school supplies at the PAL Center in Auburn on Thursday. A coalition of community organizations called Auburn Strong gave away backpacks, school supplies, face masks and information about going back to school. This is the eighth year the Immigrant Resource Center, Auburn Recreation and the PAL Center have pooled resources, Fatuma Hussein of the Immigrant Resources Center said. “This is just the first day,” Auburn Recreation Director Sabrina Best said. Auburn Strong is hoping to have a weekly presence in the area to deliver a constant message about COVID-19 related issues, Best said. A similar event will occur in Lewiston’s Kennedy Park on Sept. 11, Hussein said. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo