AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — Sometimes the most meaningful community impact begins with a simple conversation.

What started as a health-focused community event in Tuscaloosa has grown into a collaborative effort that has helped provide thousands of pounds of fresh produce to local families while demonstrating how the Alabama Cooperative Extension System responds when communities identify their own needs.

The annual Cuts, Curls & Conversations workshop, coordinated by Alabama Extension in partnership with Five Horizons Health Services and other local organizations, was created to connect residents with valuable health resources in trusted neighborhood gathering places. The event was organized after local barbers and stylists expressed a desire for more information they could share with clients about health and wellness.

During the workshop, however, another issue quickly surfaced.

Participants began talking about food insecurity in their neighborhoods and asked what they could do to help.

Rather than letting the conversation end there, Tuscaloosa County Extension helped connect interested barbers, stylists, gardeners, volunteers and community organizations with Alabama Extension’s Grow More, Give More 250-Pound Challenge. The collaboration resulted in more than 7,300 pounds of fresh produce being donated in the county to local food pantries and those in need this summer, making Tuscaloosa County one of the statewide leaders in the challenge.

“One of Extension’s greatest strengths is bringing the right people together,” said Izette McNealy, Tuscaloosa County Extension director. “Our job is to listen to our communities, connect them with trusted partners and help turn ideas into action. What started as a conversation about health became a conversation about feeding families, and that’s when we knew Extension could help make those connections happen.”

The event also strengthened partnerships among organizations already working to improve community health.

“We’ve been building that relationship over the last year and a half and have had a really strong partnership with Extension and the families and the communities to hear about what is working for them and what isn’t working for them when it comes to access to maternal health care,” said Holly Horan, scientific lead for the West Alabama Maternity Care Coalition.

The workshop demonstrated how Extension can serve as a convener — bringing together community organizations, healthcare providers and local leaders to create connections that often lead to solutions beyond the original purpose of an event.

“What makes this story so meaningful is that the community identified the next step,” McNealy said. “People wanted to do more than learn. They wanted to help. Extension simply helped connect those willing hands with an opportunity to serve.”

Planning is already underway for the 2027 Cuts, Curls & Conversations workshop, with organizers hoping to continue creating spaces where conversations become partnerships and partnerships become lasting community impact.