'We all need some help': Stop the Violence Resource Fairs to continue in 2023
A local group is hosting Stop the Violence Resource Fairs to connect people with needed jobs, services and other forms of support.
At a Nov. 19 resource fair, Clay Harris, founder of Uniting and Healing Through Hope of Monroe County, said that kind of cooperation is necessary in Rochester.
“All of us that live in the community, we all have got to come together," Harris said before event attendees. Many of them responded in agreeance as Harris continued to encourage others to share any resources they may offer or know about to those that are in need.
“We can’t all look down on somebody. We have got to kinda reach down and help them because we all need some help," Harris said. "And when we show that love back out to the community, that’s when change begins to happen.”
Uniting Through Hope of Monroe County hosted a community church and resource fair at the David F. Gantt Recreation Center at North and Draper streets in the city.
Participants could connect with a variety of local organizations and churches offering job openings, volunteer opportunities, religious and mental health services and medical resources like Narcan, the emergency nasal spray that can help prevent opioid overdose. Residents were also able to register for the opportunity to win a free food basket, internet access, phone services or a tablet.
Organizations such as Compeer Rochester, Department of Public Health, The Salvation Army and others tabled the event offering their contact information, giveaways and good conversation.
Uniting Through Hope of Monroe County will host more resource fairs this month and through 2023.
More information about events or how to volunteer can be found on the group's website: unitingthroughhope.com.
Genae Shields is a Revisiting the Rochester Narrative fellow and a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology's photojournalism program. Follow her on Instagram @genaebriphoto and on Twitter @genaebri. Her website is genaeshields.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Healing Through Hope and Unity hosting resource fairs in Rochester
