GOULDSBORO, Pa. — Salon Joy near Gouldsboro is known for giving people a fresh cut and color, but as school begins to start up, the salon looks to give back.
"We're in uncertain times and just giving joy makes everybody feel good. We just want to be a positive influence in the community," said Nichole Londo, the owner of Salon Joy.
Giving joy is what Londo hopes to do with this year's fourth annual Fill the Backpack /Fill the Bus collection event. People are encouraged to donate new backpacks and school items. It's something she's been doing for 13 years.
"I started doing this back in New York," Londo said. "I'm originally from Buffalo, New York, and it's something that's always been in my heart to do, and so when I came here, I just kept the tradition going on. So we found a need in the community with the schoolbags and school supplies, so we just wanted to keep it going."
The goal every year is to fill this bus, but last year they filled it with food—hundreds of pounds of it.
"I reached out to our local food pantry and I said, 'Hey, how can we help?' and they're like, 'Any food donations,' so throughout COVID for about six to eight weeks what we did was we filled the bus with food," said Londo.
Every year, the event gets bigger with help from the community.
On Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the salon is also hosting a vendor fair, with food trucks and raffle baskets, and activities for the kids.
This will also be the last day to drop off any new book bags and supplies donations.
All the school items will be given to the North Pocono School District on Monday.