Under the shade of trees and pop-up tents, children lined up for face painting while families picked up eggs, groceries and snack bags Friday afternoon outside a Kentfield Road building decorated with a small Juneteenth banner.

The Pop Up for Peace event at 4707 Kentfield Road brought together free food, groceries, children’s activities and community resources as organizers used Juneteenth to also highlight Gun Violence Awareness Month.

The event, held in collaboration with the Office of Violence Prevention, Bread of Life and Community Partnership for Families of San Joaquin, followed the Stockton City Council’s proclamation of June 2026 as Gun Violence Awareness Month. The proclamation recognized victims, survivors, outreach workers, service providers and community groups working to reduce violence across the city.

As part of the month, the Office of Violence Prevention planned community pop-up events throughout June to connect residents with resources.

Antonio Hernandez, an outreach coordinator and case manager with the Office of Violence Prevention, said the event was meant to bring support directly into neighborhoods where families are facing violence, poverty and other challenges.

“We’re picking the spots, the hottest spots in Stockton that need love,” Hernandez said. “There’s a lot of gun violence, a lot of people that are hurting, poverty, and we’re coming out and just showing a little bit of love.”

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3 announcing that enslaved people in Texas were free, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture describes Juneteenth as the country’s “second independence day.” Congress made Juneteenth National Independence Day a federal holiday in 2021.

For organizers, Friday’s event connected the holiday’s message of freedom and community with an ongoing effort to prevent violence in Stockton neighborhoods.

Families moved between tables set up outside, where volunteers handed out food and household items. Children waited for face painting, picked up small goodie bags and drew with sidewalk chalk.

Hernandez said many of the families who attend events like Friday’s are struggling to meet basic needs.

“A lot of people are barely getting by,” Hernandez said. “Just resources and love — they’re lacking love, and that’s why we come here.”

The event was part of a larger violence prevention effort across Stockton, Hernandez said. The goal, he said, is not only to respond after violence happens, but to build trust with young people and families before they reach a crisis point.

“So the kids can know who we are,” Hernandez said. “Hopefully, we can prevent, and we could case manage before they get in trouble.”

Nearby resident Sara Coyle said the event was personal because Peacekeepers have supported her family while she works through challenges with her son. She said the group has checked on him, brought food to the family and helped connect them with schooling options after he was recently removed from school.

Coyle said the event helped bring neighbors together and showed what community support can look like.

“The free food giveaway, and just how it brings the community together, I think, is really important,” Coyle said.

April Irving, another neighborhood resident, said she saw the event while driving by and turned around. She said the food, eggs, snacks and children’s goodie bags were helpful for families in the area.

“This event for this neighborhood is great because it’s a lower-income neighborhood and people are in need of things,” Irving said.

Both women said peace in Stockton starts with people caring for one another.

“Each one teach one, and we’ll come together as a community with love,” Irving said.

Hernandez said he hopes people leave the event with a broader view of Stockton — one that includes the people working to support neighborhoods, not only the city’s challenges.

“Not everything is bad in Stockton,” Hernandez said. “There is people that care, like us, community partners. We’re coming out and we’re saying, ‘Look, we do see you guys. We know times are hard. We know there’s gun violence in our city, but we also see the good people like us getting together and loving our city.’”

He said residents can support the work by sharing positive stories, showing up and serving when they can.

“Do your part,” Hernandez said. “Come out, serve if you can.”