WAKULLA COUNTY, FL (WTXL) — More than 30 local nonprofits will gather at the Wakulla Community Center on October 3 for the first-ever Wakulla Nonprofit Resource Fair, hosted by the Wakulla County Chamber's Nonprofit Network Resource Group.
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The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is designed to help Wakulla County residents discover services available to them close to home — from food assistance and pregnancy support to beds and housing.
Organizers say many residents don't realize how many resources exist within the county and often travel to Tallahassee unnecessarily.
Patrick Allison, an event organizer with Caroline's Agape Project, said the fair is rooted in community care.
"All of the members that are coming here are coming here to exhibit as an act of love to the community to show them, hey, we've got your back. We're here to help you," Allison said.
Allison said the lack of awareness about local resources was a driving force behind the event.
"There are several examples of organizations that nobody really knows about, or they think they know about it, but they don't know that it's actually here, like the pregnancy center right here on Crawfordville Highway. But I've talked to a lot of people that didn't even know there was a pregnancy center here. There's Wakulla Giving Hands down in Medart that gives out food to about 200 families on Sunday mornings. Well, a lot of people from the northern part of the Crawfordville area and such, they don't know about that," Allison said.
He added that some organizations based in Tallahassee also have offices in Wakulla County that residents are unaware of.
"A lot of people find themselves going up to Tallahassee when they could be talking to somebody here. There are organizations in Tallahassee that have offices here, but nobody knows about it. So I'm trying to get the word out to the community that there are available resources for you right here, so you don't have to drive up to Tallahassee," Allison said.
Nonprofits expected to participate include Wakulla Giving Hands, DISC Village, Caroline's Agape Project, Operation Wakulla, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
Allison hopes to make the fair an annual or bi-annual event.
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