Assemblymember Berman Hosts Annual Community Health & Wellness Fair in Mountain View

MENLO PARK, CA -Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) hosted his eighth annual Community Health & Wellness Fair on Saturday, September 19th, at Gabriela Mistral Elementary School in Mountain View. In partnership with Mountain View Whisman School District, this event brought together dozens of vital health and wellness services from across the region for community members to access for free.

"The annual health fair is one of my favorite events of the year. It's a great opportunity to bring families together for a day of wellness, fun activities, and healthy giveaways," said Assemblymember Berman. "I'm so grateful to the dozens of community organizations that came out to educate community members about the services they offer and reinforce the simple steps we can all take to set the foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing. I am incredibly proud of our community's commitment to exercise, nutrition, vaccines and health screenings."

Featuring over 30 community tabling organizations, the event provided youth and families with important wellness services such as dental screenings, vision screenings, blood pressure checks, vaccines against influenza and COVID-19, and healthy groceries. Families and youth received over 16,000 non-toxic diapers with transparently labeled ingredients, along with school supplies, sweatshirts, dental kits, and healthy snacks-all free of charge. Activities included a DJ led dance-off and a raffle to give away donated bicycles to youth who attended the fair and completed a trivia hunt.

"CSA was grateful to participate in Assemblymember Berman's Health Fair," says Mountain View Community Services Agency Development Director Simone Berkowitz, who attended the event alongside several CSA staff and board members. "Assemblymember Berman's office invited CSA to serve as the event's food and essentials distribution partner, providing $10,000 for us to purchase and distribute groceries and other necessities for community members. It was also a valuable opportunity to let people know that CSA is here to support those facing food and housing insecurity."

"For the past two years, we have proudly partnered with Assemblymember Berman's health fair to provide free dental screenings and connect community members with vital, low-cost dental resources. What makes this initiative so impactful is Assemblymember Berman's genuine commitment to listening to community feedback and working toward making dental care affordable and accessible for all. This event also serves as an invaluable platform, allowing us to collaborate alongside other dedicated organizations to strengthen our community." - Navneeta Choudhary, DDS, Chair, Community Services Committee, Santa Clara County Dental Society.

The diaper giveaway was sponsored by Help A Mother Out and Healthy Baby; school supplies, sweatshirts, and grocery distribution were sponsored by Mountain View Community Services Agency; grocery bags were sponsored by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation; vision screenings were sponsored by the California Optometric Society; dental screenings were sponsored by the Santa Clara County Dental Society; dental kits were sponsored by the California Dental Association; vaccines and blood pressure checks were sponsored by Safeway and Kaiser Permanente; music was sponsored by DJ Keith Miles; bicycles were donated by Silicon Valley Bike Exchange.

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Assemblymember Marc Berman represents the 23rd Assembly District, which includes southern San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Website of Assemblymember Marc Berman: www.assembly.ca.gov/Berman. Assemblymember Marc Berman's official headshot is available here.