Galloway, N.J. — Lucila Perez knows asking for help can be intimidating.

“A lot of times I have been in situations where I’ve needed help, and I just simply don’t know where to begin searching for that help,” said the 30-year-old Psychology major from Mays Landing.

That’s the primary reason to hold the Community Resource Fair, said Ashley Jones, the assistant director of Stockton University’s Military and Veteran Success Center. Jones invited more than 30 nonprofit organizations ranging from the Atlantic City Rescue Mission to the Center for Family Services to come to the Campus Center Event Room on March 14 to make the public aware of a variety of assistance programs.

“With the way that world is going now, everyone needs help,” she said.

After starting the fair in March 2023 and holding another one in November that was open to the public but had a focus on veterans, Jones realized she needed to broaden the event’s audience. As part of that, she brought in Stockton’s Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning as a partner.

“I know that my job is focused on veterans, but I have the community’s interest in mind when I do these events,” Jones said. “I don’t what this to just be a veterans resource fair. I want this to be open to the community at-large.”

Combining outreach to veterans and the local community appealed to Perez because she’s a veteran of the Army National Guard and a nontraditional student earning a degree.

“Events like this are so important because from what I understand there are a lot of students, like me, some veterans, some not veterans, that are not traditional students,” said Perez, who served for over 10 years, six of which were active duty.

She said the best thing about the fair for her was seeing that many of the larger organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, have smaller programs of support.

“Just seeing one large corporation with no real small community outreach, that intimidation is, for me, what would keep me from obtaining the help that I might need,” she said.

Making personal connections with those who attended the fair was one of the draws for J. Jake Sanders, a veterans justice outreach specialist for the VA.

“I’ve done a lot of walks and talks. I’ve been on my feet the whole time,” said Sanders, who counsels veterans coming out of jail as part of a diversion program. “Stockton is the perfect location for events like this because the local community, both military and civilian, can get together and see what services are available that can aid with things like utility assistance and housing support.”

The model of having the fair focus on both veterans and civilians is the goal going forward, Jones said. She plans on holding the next one in November and she will continue to organize them “as long as the need is there.”

“This resource fair is for everyone. It’s not just for Stockton. Stockton should be known as a helping location. A place where people can ask for resources and get them. Not just as an educational institution,” Jones said. “Everyone should know that Stockton is a place for everyone.”

— Story by Mark Melhorn, photos by Susan Allen