Free snow cones and bounce houses shared space with laundry kits and work boots Saturday as Pearl Street Church threw its Fall Fiesta at Lockwood Park, turning a kids' Halloween party into a hand-up for families working to stretch their budgets. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. near North Hackberry Street and was free and open to anyone who showed up.
Families enjoyed free food, games and fall activities for children, according to news4sanantonio.com, which also reported that the gathering paired that fun with fresh food and essential household supplies for anyone who needed them. Beyond the snow cones and children's games, the church also distributed laundry kits, cleaning supplies and work boots, the outlet noted. Per KENS 5, the fiesta also featured bounce houses, slides, trick-or-treat tents for kids and photo opportunities with performers dressed as Minions, along with pet-friendly trick-or-treating for families who brought their dogs along.
A Festival Built Around Everyday Needs
Church promotional material described the event as dog-friendly well ahead of the fiesta, inviting families to bring their four-legged friends, according to a findglocal.com listing for Pearl Street Church. That same listing advertised free resources including fresh food, laundry kits, cleaning supplies, work boots and more, framing the Halloween-season event as much a resource fair as a party. Admission was free and open to the community, the station's report adds.
Pastor Brent Caddell, lead pastor of Pearl Street Church, estimated that more than 2,000 people attended the fiesta, per KENS 5. The church reportedly gave out more than 600 bags of supplies to families in need, with organizers crediting Convoy of Hope, Rico's Cheese and Level Up Bikes with helping make the event possible, according to the same outlet.
A Pastor's Hope For The Neighborhood
Caddell said many people were being blessed and impacted by the event, and he framed the fiesta as a way for the church to connect with and bless the surrounding community, KENS 5 reported. Those remarks came as the church balanced practical giveaways, like work boots and cleaning supplies, with the kind of games and costumes that make Halloween weekend feel festive for kids.
The giveaway landed amid broader concerns about food costs in the region. More than 1 in 5 people face food insecurity in the San Antonio area, according to a report from Axios San Antonio. Separately, Texas Public Radio reported that persistently high grocery prices were forcing more San Antonio-area families to choose between food and other necessities, contributing to a sharp increase in food insecurity across the region.
