The Austin Poverty Task Force on Saturday will host a “Community Connect” event that provides free resources, services and food to those who struggle with poverty.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hastings Gym at Austin High School.

The task force adopted a “one-stop shop” idea by gathering together more than 40 businesses, agencies and service organizations, and some 80 volunteers, who will be available to provide information and assistance to visitors.

Also offered will be a lunch, provided by Hormel Foods and a bag of groceries provided by Hy-Vee. Add to that flu shots and hair cuts— all free of charge.

Some of the most important parts of the day, however, may be information about services, from legal and housing resources to employment assistance. There will also be activities for children attending.

The event is the first hosted by the task force, a local group that grew from a Blandin Foundation community leadership program. Since its inception, the task force has been learning all it can about the issue facing approximately one in six Austin residents, or about 4,000 citizens.

Members have learned much, said task force member Richard Lemons, noting that “there is a misconception that people in poverty aren’t working.”

Making a living wage is difficult in some families, who often work more than one job to make ends meet. That impacts any number of other areas of life.

He noted, for instance, the federal poverty guideline, first structured in the 1960s, “hasn’t really changed” in what it intends to do, he said.

“It doesn’t take into account child care, or health care, or transportation,” he said, noting the poverty level for a family of four means members have to earn $24,600 or less to qualify for programs that provide assistance. Recent polls conducted by both conservative and liberal groups estimated the poverty line needed to be at least $8,000 higher than where guidelines cap it at now.

Lemons said the task force came to understand there are different types of poverty, ranging from those in generational poverty, who do not expect their situation to change for the better, to working class poverty that finds people working for an income that is not supporting their families; to situational poverty, or rather, those who face a life event  — illness, perhaps — that puts them into poverty.

“Community Connect” is a program in place in other communities, Lemons said. The task force adopted the structure due to its ability to bring people together. Members hope it can be an annual event.

And while those attending will be grateful for some free items, the real advantage will be in the relationships built along the way, Lemons said. Those ties help everyone — those who need a step up, as well as those who receive a better understanding of the many faces of poverty and its causes.

A full list of participating agencies and companies includes:

Adult Basic Education, African-Asian Refugees Services, Apple Lane, Austin Area Minority Business Project, Austin Fire Department, Austin HRA, Austin Police Department, Austin Public Library, Austin Public Schools, Austin Utilities, Cedar House, Children’s Dental Health, Community Learning Center, Crime Victims Resource Center, Crisis Response, Family Connections, Gerard, Girl Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start, Home Federal, Hormel Foods Corp. Hy-Vee Food Store, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, IMS, Mayo-Mower Refreshed, Meals on Wheels, Mower Council for the Handicapped, Open Door Clinic, Parenting Resource Center, Mower County Public Health, Rachel’s Hope, Riverland Community College, SEMCAC, SMART, The Arc of Mower County, The Bridge/local advisory council, United Way of Mower County, Veteran’s Service Office, Walgreens, Wee Learning, Minnesota WorkForce Center, YMCA and the Welcome Center.