Resources Fair provides awareness opportunities for families in need

August 27, 2018

Denise, a Milford mom, brought her three children, ages 2, 4, and 10 to Thursday night’s Health Resource Fair to explore what options might be available for her struggling family. She learned about the event from her youngest son’s early intervention specialist.

Because people dealing with food insecurity, like Denise, most likely are faced with other challenges, the Food Bank of Delaware hosted this Health Resource Fair at the Delaware Early Childhood Center in Harrington.

Denise’s  toddler, taking in the sights from his stroller, requires an overnight nurse; he’s oxygen dependent and relies on a feeding tube. His family must make frequent – and often emergency – trips to Nemours/A.I DuPont Hospital for children in Wilmington. Denise’s husband works during the day, so she’s the stay-at-home mom trying to do the best for her family.

A steady stream of parents and children flowed into the center’s auditorium, and those who visited all the resource tables (and were income qualified) could visit the Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry set up outside the center. Each of those families received 30 pounds of shelf-stable food, plus fresh fruits and vegetables to take home.

Lynaida Diaz, the Food Bank’s WIC Outreach Coordinator, organized the event. It was the first downstate; two similar resource fairs were held in New Castle County.

“One of my goals was to increase awareness of what resources are available, so we got them together in one spot by partnering with the Delaware Early Childhood Center,” Diaz said.

Since 1 in every six children in Delaware live with food insecurity, the Food Bank’s nutrition and community education outreach offer WIC education programs for WIC-eligible children and their parents or guardians.

In addition to the Food Bank, other resources included Thresholds, the Harrington Library, LaRed, First State Community  Action, and $tand by Me.

Visit www.fbd.org for more information about programs and services offered by the Food Bank of Delaware.

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