George Library to host resource fair
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 weeks, 2 days AGO
The George Library will host a resource fair Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with representatives from state and county agencies.
FILE PHOTO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | April 7, 2025 3:45 AM
GEORGE — The George Library will host a resource fair Monday, where residents of the area can get help with a variety of needs.
“The purpose of the event is to bring some much-needed health services to the service desert area that is George,” said Librarian Jeana Rushton. “(We’ll) make it available on-site so that patrons don’t have to travel, or if patrons are unable to travel, they can still have access to those resources.”
Partners that will be in attendance include the Department of Social and Health Services, Renew and the Washington Department of Licensing.
DSHS will have its mobile unit there, Rushton said, where patrons can do almost anything they could do at the office in Moses Lake.
“Each DSHS Mobile Office is staffed by specialists who can determine people’s eligibility for state and federal medical, cash and food assistance programs,” DSHS wrote on its website. “Our team processes new applications, case reviews, changes, EBT card requests and required documents. We also take applications for the Child Care Subsidy Program and forward them to the Department of Children, Youth and Families for processing.”
The Department of Licensing will be able to issue both the basic license and the enhanced license, register vehicles and take care of other paperwork, Rushton said.
“They can do everything that a regular Department of Licensing (office) can do except driving tests,” she said.
Renew, Grant County’s mental health agency, will be there, and so will Boulder, a counseling service specializing in addiction and substance abuse, Rushton said. The Grant County Health District will have representatives as well.
Most of the services that will be available are things George residents would have to drive to Ephrata or Moses Lake to do, she said, and not everybody can do that.
Rushton said this is the first time such an event has been held in George, but it probably won’t be the last.
“There are such great community partners in this area that I've actually had to turn a few partners away, and we're going to plan another event for the fall, hopefully,” she said.
George Resource Fair
11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 7
George Public Library
403 S Washington Way
Next to George Elementary
509-785-7043
MORE STORIES
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
‘The hospital that you built’
Quincy Valley medical Center hosts preview of its new facility
QUINCY — The community got a sneak peek Friday at the new Quincy Valley Medical Center. “We've planned, we've thought about it, we've dreamed, and it's only because of the support of this community that tonight is a reality,” said QVMC Administrator Glenda Bishop at First Look, a gathering of community members to see what their new hospital will look like.
Moses Lake Farmers Market to open Saturday
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Farmers Market will open Saturday for the season in high style, with live music, entertainment, a raffle, a scavenger hunt and a ribbon-tying ceremony with Moses Lake Mayor Dustin Swartz to symbolize the community coming together at the market. The event is in keeping with the theme of the market this year, according to an announcement from the Market Manager Christine Haguewood. “This year’s theme, ‘Tied Together by Community,’ highlights the power of local connections – bringing together farmers, artisans and neighbors for a fresh, meaningful start to the season,” Haguewood wrote. The Moses Lake Farmers Market was established in 1978 and takes place every Saturday from the beginning of May through the end of October at McCosh Park. The number of vendors varies, but this year’s market will kick off with more than 50, Haguewood wrote in her statement.
Pasco potato farmer growing into the future
PASCO — Grant Morris does a lot of his farming from a desk these days. “There’s a lot of technology,” Morris said. “I complain about it regularly, that half my job this time of year is pushing ‘OK’ or changing an AB line. It makes what we do more efficient and makes us better growers, but it is a huge pain in the butt.” Morris, the co-owner of Schneider Farms, got the farming bug early in life, he said. His family moved around a lot when he was growing up, he said, and when he graduated from WSU, he was ready to settle on a farm and stay put.