James Anderson:
Hundreds of residents gathered in Jamaica, Queens, on Thursday, June 5, 2026, for the Jamaica-Hillside Resource Fair, an evening event designed to connect local families, students, small business owners and community members with public services and neighborhood support.
The free fair was held from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Jamaica Central, 172-27 Hillside Avenue, and was organized by NYC Small Business Services (SBS) in partnership with BHALO and the Bangladeshi American Business Society of Hillside Avenue (BABSHA). Organizers said the event aimed to increase awareness of available resources while strengthening community engagement and civic participation.
Representatives from city agencies, nonprofits and business-support organizations staffed information tables throughout the venue. Participating groups included NYC Small Business Services, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, NYC Emergency Management, the Department of Youth and Community Development, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, NYC Health, the NYC Civic Engagement Commission, FDNY, Community Education Council District 23, Queens Economic Development Corporation, Queens Chamber of Commerce, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, CanCode Communities, Accompany Capital, Queens Community House and Project New Yorker.
Visitors received guidance on small-business development, immigrant services, emergency preparedness, youth programs, housing assistance, voter rights and educational opportunities. Agency representatives answered questions and distributed flyers in multiple languages, including Bengali, Arabic, English and Spanish, making the event more accessible to Jamaica’s diverse immigrant communities.
“It is a great opportunity to reach the community. Many people are not aware of their rights and the services available to them. Events like this help connect residents to resources that can benefit them,” said Michael Hsieh of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
The fair also drew praise from community visitors, though some noted that the strong turnout showed the need for a larger space in the future. “I came to visit the fair, and it is great,” said Jin Hyun Bae, special adviser at Queens Public Library. “However, it would be even better if there were more space. There are a lot of people here, and the tables are quite crowded.”
Community leaders said the program helped encourage civic involvement. Rabby Syed, general secretary of the Jamaica Bangladesh Association, described the fair as an important platform for connecting residents with service providers. “This is an amazing fair,” Syed said. “Events like this are important for civic engagement. More community events should be organized to bring residents and service providers together.”
Young people also took part in the event, including students who had the opportunity to register for a lottery for a $50 VISA gift card. Some attendees said they learned about programs they had not known were available. “I came here just to visit,” said Tasfia Noor, an intern at the New York City Economic Development Corporation. “I found out about many youth programs that I didn’t know about before. It has been a very informative experience.”
For residents of Jamaica and Hillside Avenue, the fair offered more than information tables. It created a direct meeting space between government agencies, local organizations and the people they serve. By bringing multiple services under one roof, NYC SBS, BHALO and BABSHA helped strengthen access to resources that can support families, workers, students and small businesses across Jamaica, Queens.
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