The Huss Project’s ‘Back to School Celebration’ returns to Three Rivers Saturday
Every August, the Huss Project (1008 8th St.) transforms its space into a hub of generosity and community spirit. At the heart of the celebration is a giveaway of 500 high-quality backpacks filled with age-appropriate school supplies for elementary, middle, and high school students.
The Huss Project will once again help Three Rivers families start the school year prepared and connected at its annual Back to School Celebration, taking place Saturday, August 9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Every August, the Huss Project transforms its space into a hub of generosity and community spirit. At the heart of the celebration is a giveaway of 500 high-quality backpacks filled with age-appropriate school supplies for elementary, middle, and high school students. *culture is not optional, a Three Rivers-based nonprofit, purchased the Huss Elementary school building — where the annual celebration is held — from a private owner in 2009, and began what is now known as the Huss Project.
Families don’t need to register or show proof of income, they just need to bring a school-aged child accompanied by an adult caregiver.
“We try to provide a higher quality backpack so it can last the school year, and kids get to pick which one they like so they have some agency in that choice,” *culture is not optional Executive Director Rob Vander Giessen-Reitsma said in an interview.
Each child will also receive a free lunch provided by Three Rivers Community Schools.
The celebration takes place alongside the Huss Farmers Market and Second Saturday Art Market, where shoppers will find fresh produce, baked goods, maple syrup, honey, handmade soaps, spices and more – plus art vendors selling everything from paintings and pottery to crochet. Local food trucks Sweet Caroline’s Ice Cream Truck, The Donut Cart, and Weenie Kings will also be on site.
Live entertainment is a staple of the event. From 10 to 10:30 a.m., members of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra will perform a musical storybook presentation of Jam, Too! in the farm’s children’s area, introducing young audiences to professional musicians. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., local jam-funk group Faux Beamage will provide the soundtrack for the afternoon — a full-circle moment for lead guitarist Jared, who grew up attending Huss Project events as a kid and was inspired to pick up the guitar after seeing live music there.
Another key piece of the day is the Community Carnival, which brings together nearly 20 local organizations offering games and activities for kids while caregivers connect with valuable resources. This year’s lineup ranges from education programs like Immaculate Conception Catholic School, St. Joseph County Adult Education, and Early Head Start at St. Joseph County ISD to community service providers such as KeyStone Place, South Michigan Food Bank, Community Action Shippy Head Start, Family Bound/DHHS, and Neighborhoods Inc. Families can also meet with groups like the Animal Rescue Fund, Great Start Collaborative/Help Me Grow St. Joe, Michigan State University Extension, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Three Rivers Public Library, Thrive Academy, and Three Rivers Area Mentoring (TRAM), along with several local churches and service clubs.
“It’s effectively a glorified resource fair,” Vander Giessen-Reitsma joked, “but it’s a way to connect families to really good resources in the community.”
For the Huss Project, the day is about more than just handing out supplies.
“Our hope is that it’s one more thread in the fabric of what makes our community in Three Rivers hold together,” Vander Giessen-Reitsma said. “It’s a neighborhood expression of care. At some point, all of us need help, and this is just one way to be there for each other.”
For more information, visit the Huss Project’s website.
Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.
Author
Related Articles
Watershed Voice: Year in Review
Before our three-week publishing pause, Watershed Voice invites our readers to take a look back at the past year in local news. For Watershed Voice, it was a year marked by change, as we transitioned from one staff writer — Najifa Farhat for the first half of the year — to another, Maxwell Knauer, for the second half of the year.
No matter the author of our stories, we aimed to bring prompt, fact-based, independent reporting to Southwest Michigan. Here’s a look at some of our favorite, most impactful, and most-read stories of 2025.
Watershed Voice 2025: By the Numbers
As the year comes to an end, Watershed Voice takes a look back at a year of keeping readers across Southwest Michigan informed.
In 2025, Watershed Voice published 322 stories, averaging 27 articles per month. Over the course of the year, our reporting reached 137,762 total page views from 79,435 visitors.
Remembering the life of a Three Rivers titan: Bruce Monroe
While Bruce Monroe’s restoration work reshaped parts of downtown Three Rivers, those closest to him say it was the care he showed people that mattered most.
“Bruce was my father. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that he was as good of a father as anyone could ever hope to have. My brothers and I grew up with endless love and support from our dad. Our family is all still very close, which I think is a testament to my father and the environment he created and fostered for us,” Bruce’s youngest son, Evan Monroe wrote.
