Poverty is one of the many barriers individuals and families face in Grayson County. And along with poverty, many other barriers keep people from getting, or even seeking, the help they need. With this information in mind and based on the experiences of several community partners, a group of people came together to form Grayson County Thrive, formerly known as the GC Poverty Coalition.

The mission of this group is to promote awareness of the various resources available in our community and help reduce, or remove, the barriers that prevent people from utilizing such resources. The first step in making this happen was to plan a Community Resource Fair and bring all the different resources to one location to raise awareness in the community. In June of 2022 this group of community partners planned and implemented the 1st Annual Community Resource Fair with just under 200 participants and about 30 vendors. 

The Grayson County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences along with community partners from the Alliance Food Pantry, the local hospital, city council, and invested community members spearheaded the planning for the Second Annual Community Resource Fair, to take place in June 2023.

On June 27th, 2023, the Second Annual Community Resource Fair was held at the Grayson County Extension Office and hosted more than 60 vendor booths with 320+ participants. More than double the vendors and community members present in 2022.

Vendors that are not typically in the same room came together to provide an all-inclusive experience for participants. Vendors included (but were not limited to):  

-    Schools (the meals bus provided free food to children 0-18 years of age)

-    Grayson County Cattlemen Association (provided free meals to the first 150 adults)

-    Library

-    Food Pantry

-    Low Income Housing

-    Medicare/Medicaid 

-    Insurance

-    Tourism

-    Home Health Agencies

-    Local Hospital (many departments present, provided a mobile clinic for various free health screenings.)

-    Mental Health Providers

-    Family Resource Centers

-    Cooperative Extension Services, Nutrition Education Program

-    Health Department

-    Substance Use Recovery Providers

-     Sexual Trauma Recovery Providers

-    Adult Education

-    Lions Club (provided free eye screenings and A1C testing)

-     Goodwill opportunity Center

-     GCHS Sources of Strength

-     National Guard

-     United Way of Central Kentucky

-     Pediatric Clinic 

We will never truly know the impact that was made on individuals that visited vendors. Following the event, there has been endless chatter among resource providers who came to the event to gather additional resources to share with their clients. Specifically, a social worker who works with individuals in Drug Court was able to provide job opportunities for these individuals along with countless other resources. 

Evaluation data from 138 (119 in 2022) participants indicated the event was a success. Participants commented that there was a great variety and great information, excellent program, every booth was respectful and nice, so thankful. Many community members gave input on evaluations about other resources available for the group to reach out to next year including Special Olympics and additional youth resources.  

Participant Feedback: 

“I am making up baskets to share with the local churches for them to know the resources in town. I have so much stuff I will have to share with my family.”

“Great job, something for everyone, great event.”