Santa Visits Health Department, Supports Local Families and Resources
Santa, Mrs. Claus and an elf visited the Holmes County Health Department on December 12 for a meet and greet with families enrolled in WIC and Help Me Grow, bringing story time, crafts, photos and small gifts for young children. The event reinforced the health department's effort to meet families where they are, connect households with diapers nutritional items and family support information, and build trusted relationships that matter for community health.
On December 12 the Holmes County Health Department hosted its long running annual holiday visit, welcoming Santa, Mrs. Claus and an elf for a meet and greet with families participating in WIC and Help Me Grow programs. The event offered story time crafts photo opportunities and small gifts for children roughly eight months to five years old, while creating a low barrier setting for caregivers to connect with staff and resources.
Organizers designed the visit to be both festive and practical, using the relaxed atmosphere to share information about nutrition supports diaper assistance and other family services available through the health department. For participants in WIC and Help Me Grow the gathering provided a familiar community touchpoint that complements routine appointments and home outreach. Those relationships are critical to early childhood development and caregiver well being, and they strengthen public health efforts to address social determinants of health.
WIC provides targeted nutrition support for women infants and children, and Help Me Grow links families to developmental screening and early intervention services. By embedding resource navigation into a community celebration the health department is reducing stigma and removing logistical hurdles that can keep households from accessing benefits. Events like this also create positive family memories, a form of social support that contributes to parental confidence and child development during formative years.
The visit highlights the role local public health agencies play beyond clinical services, acting as hubs for material supports and information that meet basic needs. In rural and underserved communities those connections can mean the difference between timely access to supplies and unnecessary hardship. As policymakers consider funding for maternal child health programs community based outreach remains a cost effective strategy to promote equitable health outcomes.
For Holmes County families the Santa visit was more than holiday cheer. It was an example of how simple community gatherings can open doors to services strengthen caregiver networks and advance the health and wellbeing of the county youngest residents.
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