Fresno County will host a two-day resource fair at the Golden Palace Event Center, 2625 W. Vassar Ave., Fresno, offering on-site assistance with enrollment and benefits for CalFresh, Medi-Cal and cash aid programs. The event, listed on the county’s Department of Social Services community events calendar as the Afghan Support Center Community Resource Fair, is open to the public and runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

County officials organized on-site navigators and application support to help people complete forms, troubleshoot renewals and answer questions about eligibility. By bringing services into a familiar community setting, organizers hope to reach residents who may struggle with online applications, language barriers, or limited transportation — longstanding obstacles that contribute to inequities in access to food and health coverage.

CalFresh and Medi-Cal are central components of California’s social safety net: CalFresh helps households secure nutritious food, while Medi-Cal provides health coverage to low-income individuals and families. Local access to these programs affects more than individual households; higher enrollment in nutrition and health coverage can reduce preventable emergency room visits, improve chronic disease management, and ease pressure on community health providers. On-site cash aid assistance can provide crucial short-term support for families navigating job loss, housing instability or other crises.

The choice to list the event under the Afghan Support Center banner reflects a focused outreach to Afghan residents and other immigrant communities who often face additional hurdles when interacting with government systems. In-person resource fairs can offer culturally competent support and, when paired with translation services and community partners, help build trust between underserved communities and public agencies.

For Fresno County, events like this also represent a practical application of public-health and social-services policy at the neighborhood level. They translate state and federal program rules into tangible help and aim to close gaps that technology-first application systems can create. Local health providers and social workers say increasing enrollment in Medi-Cal and CalFresh is an upstream investment in population health: ensuring stable access to food and medical care supports better health outcomes and can reduce long-term costs.

Residents interested in on-site assistance can visit the Golden Palace Event Center during the posted hours. The event appears on the Fresno County Department of Social Services community events calendar as the Afghan Support Center Community Resource Fair, and is open to anyone seeking help with CalFresh, Medi-Cal or cash aid. For many households in Fresno County, that hands-on assistance can mean quicker access to benefits that stabilize families and protect public health.