Shafter Healthy Start holds resource fair

Shafter Healthy Start hosted a resource fair that attracted a large crowd, as well as over 40 vendorst. The fair was aimed at bringing together a large number of organizations, businesses and resource organizations under the same roof, giving the public a chance to get a lot of information in one spot.

There was entertainment from various groups, including Brandi Root, who performed a number from her popular Zumba classes, held at the Shafter Recreation Department. There was also the Brinco del Chinelos dancers, who perform annually at different functions, including the annual Shafter Cinco de Mayo Festival. They were in bright, colorful costumes and danced to traditional music.

The Ballet Folklorico also performed a few traditional Mexican folk dances for the attendees. There was also plenty of food and goodies for the kids. The Shafter Police Department was on hand, giving the kids and families an up-close look at their vehicles and even let them sit behind the wheel of the patrol car.

According to Isabel Gutierrez, director of student and family support services at Healthy Start, the fair was a success and gave the community a wide range of resources that the community may not be aware that they have available. "My kids had so much fun watching the dancing and getting to sit in the police car," said Yvonne Munoz, who thought the event was great because of all of the different vendors on hand. "I didn't realize that our community had so much available to them. This fair was great to let everyone know what we have at our fingertips."

There were also a number of donated items given away in raffles, including restaurant gift cards and free services from different organizations.