By Berenice Marin, BSC Eligibility Supervisor
On October 18, 2023, we teamed up with Reiter Affiliated and the Farmworker Resource Center for the Seasons of Support Care & Connect Resource Gathering, a proactive employee resource fair in Santa Maria. This special event provided resources and assistance to farmworkers experiencing or anticipating seasonal layoffs, ensuring they have access to essential services during the seasonal transition. Attendees could receive a gift card or backpack, and connect with referrals and resources for education access, emergency supportive services, food distribution lists, blood pressure screenings and health education, financial education, and information on Medi-Cal, CalFresh and CalWORKs. There were about 800 people in attendance and DSS interacted with about 400. We helped with general questions, applications, status on their case, and some renewals and SAR 7s.