PRESS RELEASE: Highlights and Outcomes from SENT’s 2025 Annual Halloween Costume Giveaway & Child Mental Wellness Fair

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SENT’s 2025 Annual Halloween Costume Giveaway & Child Mental Wellness Fair

Overview

The 2025 Halloween Costume Giveaway and Child Mental Wellness Fair brought together hundreds of neighbors, families, and community partners to celebrate joy, health, and hope in Southeast Topeka. Through this annual event, SENT Inc. created dignified opportunities for families to access mental and physical health resources, connect with community organizations, and experience neighborhood transformation in action. The event reflects SENT’s mission to walk beside neighbors through loving relationships and strategic development to accomplish holistic neighborhood transformation and advance SENT’s vision to eliminate at-risk neighborhoods from Topeka’s neighborhood health map over the next twenty years.

Highlights and Outcomes

  • 146 families served, reaching an estimated 365 individuals 
  • Over 840 costumes were distributed to children and families
  • 150 Mental Health Passports issued to encourage wellness engagement
  • 66 participants completed six or more wellness stations
  • 41 flu shots administered — the highest ever at a SENT event
  • 31 families shopped the Southside Filling Station Food Pantry
  • 4–5 families engaged in homeownership conversations from both Hi-Crest and Central Highland Park
  • Over 3,200 views on SENT’s social media preview post in 17 hours
  • 14 Partnering Organizations

The record number of flu shots highlights the growing trust families have in SENT’s physical health options and underscores the importance of launching the Southside Wellness Clinic, which will provide ongoing preventive and holistic care. The event also reaffirmed the essentialness of SENT’s one-stop-shop model, giving neighbors a single, trusted location for housing, health, food, and workforce support.

Survey Insights and Action Plans

  • Top Participant Goals: Participants most often aimed to eat healthier, strengthen relationships, be more active, improve mental health, and find affordable housing—goals that align with the Kansas Health Foundation, Kansas Health Institute, and Healthy Blue priorities on food security, mental health, and family stability. SENT therapist Camille Faraldi will follow up with participants interested in mental health or substance use services, guiding them through scheduling. With SENT’s average one-week turnaround from inquiry to appointment, families can begin receiving care within days.
  • Food Insecurity: Twenty-four percent of participants reported skipping meals in the past month due to financial hardship. This highlights the impact of SENT’s Food is Medicine model, which links nutrition and wellness through the Southside Filling Station pantry and aligns with the Sunflower Foundation and Hunger Free Kansas priorities on prevention and equity. Eric Culbertson, SENT’s Community Liaison, will connect these families with immediate food support, mRelief SNAP enrollment, and local job opportunities, helping many begin receiving benefits within a week and turning shared data into meaningful action.
  • SNAP Assistance: Eight percent of participants requested help with SNAP or benefits applications, reflecting KDHE’s focus on improving resource navigation. Eric Culbertson and SENT’s Neighbor Advocate team will follow up directly to complete applications, strengthen financial stability, and connect families to food and income support more quickly.
  • Barriers to Medical Care: Forty-seven percent of participants reported no barriers to medical care, while 25% cited cost, 15% transportation, 9% time, and 8% lack of insurance. These results mirror Kansas Health Institute data on District 2 care gaps and affirm SENT’s integrated model combining food, housing, and health services. Kian Beemer, Medical Office Assistant, will connect families facing cost or insurance challenges with preventive care through the Southside Wellness Clinic. The 15% citing transportation needs highlights SENT’s ongoing effort to expand its citywide transportation program with more drivers and another vehicle.
  • Spanish-Language Therapy: Six percent of participants requested therapy in Spanish. SENT is raising funds to hire a bilingual therapist to meet this need, a role expected to become self-sustaining within six months through referrals and insurance reimbursement. Expanding bilingual care advances Healthy Blue and Sunflower Foundation priorities for equitable, culturally responsive health access.

Impact Story

An Army father shared that due to the government shutdown, his paycheck was cut nearly in half. While shopping at the Southside Filling Station with his family, he expressed gratitude for SENT’s support, which helped them keep food on the table. His story reflects SENT’s mission — walking beside neighbors with dignity and compassion, ensuring no one faces hardship alone.

Broader Impact

The results of this event align with and advance the goals of SENT’s key partners:

  • Kansas Health Foundation: advancing prevention and equity through local collaboration.
  • Kansas Health Institute: turning data into community-level action.
  • KDHE: building systems-level prevention and access to care.
  • Healthy Blue: expanding health equity through coordinated community support.
  • Sunflower Foundation: prioritizing Food is Medicine initiatives that link nutrition and prevention to improved health outcomes.
  • Hunger Free Kansas: ensuring equitable access to nutritious food and ending hunger through data-driven, community-based solutions.
  • Stormont Vail Health: improving community health through accessible preventive care and local partnerships that reduce avoidable hospital visits.
  • City of Topeka Social Services Committee: supporting collaborative efforts that stabilize families through housing, food security, and holistic health.
  • United Way of Kaw Valley: advancing financial stability, health, and education through collective community action.
  • Topeka Community Foundation: aligning philanthropic investments to improve neighborhood health and well-being.
  • United Methodist Health Ministry Fund: supporting whole-person care models that integrate faith, health, and community connection.

Conclusion and Next Steps

The 2025 Halloween Costume Giveaway and Child Mental Wellness Fair demonstrated SENT’s expanding influence, deepening trust, and growing capacity to serve as a one-stop hub for comprehensive neighborhood health. With record-setting flu vaccinations, expanded food access, direct SNAP and mental health outreach, and strengthened transportation planning, SENT continues to show that when neighbors can find everything they need in one trusted place, transformation follows.

Next Steps for Readers:

  • Support, sponsor, or attend SENT’s 2025 Pictures with Santa & Health Fair for Children and Families!
     🎅 Pictures with Santa & Health Fair for Children and Families
     📅 Saturday, December 13, 2025 | 9:00–11:00 AM
     📍 SENT Inc., 455 SE Golf Park Blvd, Topeka, KS

  • Become a monthly or annual supporter of SENT.
    Your partnership makes holistic neighborhood transformation possible — from expanding medical transportation services to hiring a Spanish-speaking therapist who can meet the growing bilingual mental health needs of our community.

Contact for questions and partnerships

Jill Rice, Operations Director

Email: jrice@senttopeka.com

Phone: 785-783-2535 ext 101

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