GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – May is Mental Health Awareness month and Wednesday that was not only recognized but also celebrated at the annual Mental Health & Wellness Fair in Greenfield.

This is the 21st Annual Mental Health & Wellness Fair and for over two decades, this free community event put on by nonprofit Clinical and Support Options (CSO) has been showcasing the region’s behavioral health and wellness resources and reducing stigma associated with mental health challenges.

The fair was held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Energy Park in Greenfield and the event offered live music, 40 different vendor booths, community partners, a food truck, games and activities. There are three missions of this event, bringing the community together, reducing the stigma surrounding mental health, and connecting all of these people to every one of these vendors.

CSO believes that adults who face significant mental health challenges have found they can manage, and even thrive, when immersed in a peer community that is work-focused and supportive, and so being able to interact and see where they can find help is crucial.

Geoffrey Oldmixon, Associate VP of Marketing and Development at CSO telling 22News, “Seeing all of these service providers come together and seeing all of the folks who face mental health challenges and realizing we’re not any different I think that’s really starting to be beneficial.”

CSO adds that Mental Health issues have been on the rise ever since the Pandemic and so now more than ever they recognize the importance of this event.