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Sweet Home health committee moves to boost outreach: health fair, GoFundMe and food-security planning
Summary
Committee members discussed recruiting speakers, running a GoFundMe with a roughly $2,200 goal to support the health fair, engaging Rotary and local businesses for outreach, and preparing for possible SNAP benefit changes in November that could increase local food insecurity.
Committee members spent much of the meeting on outreach planning, fundraising and community needs ahead of winter. The group invited Linn-Bend Community College student Janessa Van Epp to observe and potentially help with the health fair as part of her research project on community health initiatives.
“We have all been assigned kind of the vague outline for that project,” Van Epp told the committee, describing a student cohort of about 41 people and her intention to study smaller community groups’ health work and the committee’s health fair.
Committee members described the health fair as in its eighth year, typically drawing 350–400 participants and about 40 vendor tables; the backpack distribution program usually provides nearly 400 backpacks to children. Unidentified Speaker (S2) said the event brings mental-health, housing, insurance and hospice resources together and that recent years saw increased interest in mental-health and addiction services.
On fundraising, Unidentified Speaker (S4, Cicely) said the committee has launched a GoFundMe with printed cards and a QR code and is targeting roughly $2,200 (the speaker referenced $2,200 or $2,500 as targets in discussion). The committee discussed local collection points, business fundraising days, and offering tax receipts for donors through city channels.
Members also discussed community food resources and a possible change in SNAP benefit administration in November that could require online-only applications. Speakers warned that moving enrollment or recertification online could leave residents who lack digital access without benefits and urged using libraries, outreach volunteers and student helpers to assist applications.
The committee identified local donation sites (library, Shim, gleaners), planned to coordinate with outreach partners and recommended maintaining the issue on the November agenda to assess needs as the month approaches. No formal motions were taken on outreach or food assistance at the meeting.
