Tables full of informational pamphlets and the sound of conversation filled the Fifth Street Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley (CACLV) Community Room at the traveling resource and information fair Jan. 23. The fair, assembled by the Pa. Department of State, was designed to assist those relocating to the area due to hurricane damage in Puerto Rico.

“After the disaster on the island, Pennsylvania became the number two state that Puerto Ricans are moving [to],” said Norman Bristol Colón, director of special projects and special assistant to the secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of State. “The administration, the governor, the cabinet members, they thought that it was a good idea to make sure that we have a traveling resource and information fair for those families moving into Pennsylvania, [so] that we could help them directly.”

Representatives from government organizations, health organizations, and schools and universities, among others, attended the fair and distributed information.

“We’re here because it’s important to be able to inform potential new customers about the programs and services that we offer,” said PPL Regional Affairs Director Carol Obando-Derstine. Of the fair, she said, “It’s important for folks to understand the kind of services and resources are out there in the community, and so this is a one-stop shop opportunity to learn about all that is available to them.”

Representatives from the Bethlehem Area School District shared information on the language acquisition and childcare programs provided through the school district, informing families of the educational services in the area.

“The school district is part of the heart of the city,” said Anastasia Wrobel, an ESOL teacher at Thomas Jefferson ES. “We’ve been registering a lot of families coming in from Puerto Rico, so we want to be available.”

According to Colón, the Bethlehem fair was only the second of eight total fairs. The location of each fair is designed to target the areas with the highest influxes of evacuees to best familiarize those in need of assistance with the services provided in each area.

“It is important to make sure that there’s a smooth transition for Puerto Ricans moving into Pennsylvania, that they know where the resources and information [are],” Colón said. “But it’s also important for Pennsylvania, because Pennsylvania was found[ed on] a strong foundation of compassion and service, and I think that we are showing these evacuees what Pennsylvania is made of.”