XENIA — Xenia’s Shawnee Park, located at 591 South Park Drive, is once again the site of this year’s Community Action Day 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, May 18.

Hosted by Miami Valley Community Action Partnership (Miami Valley CAP), the free event features food, prizes, entertainment, and information about the organization’s various anti-poverty programs. This is the first of three Community Action Day events being held in the Miami Valley this month; Greenville will host the event Thursday, May 24 Dayton will host it on Friday, May 25.

The event is a celebration of 54 years of Miami Valley CAP’s work to eliminate the causes of poverty while promoting self-sustainability. The celebration will also feature partner agencies who serve Greene County. Mayor Sarah Mays will also be in attendance.

“Community Action Day is not just about Miami Valley CAP,” said Judy Darnell, Director of the CAP’s Greene County office, “It’s a day that brings social service agencies together to bring awareness. This event shows there are services within the county fighting against poverty on a daily basis.”

Community Action Day is one of the highlights of National Community Action Month, which is celebrated by more than 1,000 Community Action Agencies nationwide, which are a robust, state and local force — reaching children and families in 99 percent of America’s counties with life-changing services that create pathways to prosperity.

Like those agencies, Miami Valley CAP’s primary programs are funded through Community Services Block Grants (CSBG). The mission of CSBG is to provide assistance to states and local communities, working through a network of these agencies and other neighborhood-based organizations, for the reduction of poverty, the revitalization of communities where people with low-incomes live, and the empowerment of families and individuals with low-incomes in rural and urban areas to become fully self-sufficient. Every dollar put into CSBG programs leverages an average of $20.80 in local, state and private funds.