Sunday Gazette: July 26, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! Today we are sharing a guide that rounds up upcoming back to school drives around town, and it got us thinking about the village it takes to educate our community's children. Teachers, administrators, janitors, meal staff, tutors, crossing guards, school nurses, coaches, the list goes on. If you know someone in that village who goes above and beyond, consider nominating them for Neighbor of the Week.
See you tomorrow!
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COMMUNITY
Riverside Is Filling Backpacks for Back-to-School
From backpacks to school supply wish lists, here's a list of local drives collecting donations before the bell rings.
School's almost back in session, and across Riverside, local businesses and organizations are stepping up to make sure kids have what they need on day one. That preparation matters more than it might seem. Showing up with the right supplies helps students settle in and keep pace with their class right away, instead of starting the year already feeling behind. It's also a confidence thing: most educators report a real boost in a student's self-esteem when they're not the one without a notebook or a pencil case. And it's not just kids who feel the pinch. Most public school teachers still end up covering classroom gaps out of their own pocket, often several hundred dollars a year. Community drives like these help take some of that weight off everyone's shoulders. With the first day of school just around the corner, now's the time to drop off what you can.
Here's where you can donate or drop off...
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CREATIVE PROMPTS
Trash Novel
A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
This week, we’ll take a few more steps away from the front door and visit another domestic landmark: the trashcan.
As an assemblage artist who uses discarded objects to create site-specific abstract sculptures, I pay attention to trashcans. I find them most interesting when they are failing: overflowing onto the sidewalk, evolving into insect friendly ecosystems, and inscrutable instructions about how to successfully complete your transaction.
Have we gamified trash? Outside my house, three different trashcans are collected by three different trucks. I assume this separation results in better health for our waste-disposal system, although the parade of enormous vehicles required to remove the evidence can feel slightly absurd. Manufacturing industries come and go, but our ability to manufacture, distribute, and store trash appears endlessly innovative.
Three years ago, I watched a trash truck (the solid waste one) dump my entire trashcan into itself. Can, contents and all disappeared into its crushing jaws. Before I had a chance to send a complaint through 311, a new trashcan magically appeared at my curb. The city had answered a question I didn’t know I was asking: How do you throw away a trashcan?
Read and share the complete prompt...
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This Week in Riverside
Sunday, July 26
- FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA at Community Yoga Center
- Prayers and Public Information Meeting at Riverside Baha'i Center
- Tea & Tarot Fundraiser at Mission Inn Foundation ($80)
- Sunday Experiment After Dark at Downtown Experiment
Monday, July 27
- Volunteer Interest Hour at Riverside Meals on Wheels
- Zen Educate Riverside Hiring event: Teach Substitute and Thrive at Riverside Convention Center
- Camp Highlander 2026 at Student Recreation Center (SRC)
- Goeske Bingo at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100)
- Sip with a Scientist at Bar Ni Modo
Tuesday, July 28
- MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45)
- Summer Seed Exchange at Marcy Library
- Civics Summer Camp at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California
- The Art of Reading & Writing at My Learning Studio ($57.00)
- Multiplication Madness (MM) at My Learning Studio ($57)
- Reading Comprehension Group at My Learning Studio ($57)
- Reading Foundational Skills (RFS) at My Learning Studio ($196)
- Seed to Scale: Explore Controlled Environment Agriculture at UCR at University of California, Riverside
- Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway at The Hideaway
Wednesday, July 29
- Riverside East Rotary Club at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
- Stretch & Dance Class at Janet Goeske Senior Center
Thursday, July 30
- History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation at Mission Inn Foundation ($65.50 - $71.21)
Friday, July 31
- Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- Creative Arts at My Learning Studio ($57)
- Reading Assistance Program (RAP) at My Learning Studio ($57)
- Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18)
- Calle 24 - Eterno Tour at Fox Performing Arts Center
Saturday, August 1
- Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28)
- Big Farma Workshop: What Can I Grow for That? at LandUse Learning Center
- RCC Dance Summer Show Case 2026 at Landis Performing Arts Center
- Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20)
- Concrete (18+) at Fox Performing Arts Center
- Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights at D'Elia's Grinders
Save the Date
- July 27: FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA at Community Yoga Center
- July 27: Sip with a Scientist at Bar Ni Modo
- July 31: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- October 7: Fifty & Better Health Fair at Janet Goeske Center
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🏆 Nominate a remarkable Riversider as Neighbor of the Week.