Community members wait in line to purchase seedlings.

For six years, WellPower’s Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being has hosted an annual fish fry event for the local community. Serving fresh fish and greens harvested right on Dahlia’s one-acre farm and aquaponic greenhouse, this event brings hundreds of people flocking to campus. But what does fried fish have to do with mental health? 

Let’s find out. 

Well-Being Goes Beyond Mental Health 

At WellPower, we know that our mental health doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Our food, physical activity and social lives (to name a few) are all factors that impact how we think and feel. 

These different aspects of where and how we live, learn, work and play are called the Social Determinants of Health. Our organization operates knowing that the people we serve need to have access to basics like housing, healthy food options, clothing and social connection to lead fulfilling lives. 

“Dahlia Campus was founded as a space for connection,” said Anna Cooper, community coordinator at WellPower’s Dahlia Campus. “Whether it be through accessing fresh produce from our farms and gardens, accessing our mental health services or connecting with your neighbors at an event, this space and events like our Fish Fry and Farmers Market are integral to community well-being.” 

Breaking Down Barriers 

Before Dahlia Campus opened almost 10 years ago, its Northeast Park Hill neighborhood home was a food desert – an urban area where it is difficult to find affordable, nutritious and fresh food. The lack of healthy options created food insecurity for many of the neighborhood’s residents, a condition that impacted 18 million households nationwide in 2023. 

When asked what the community most wanted at Dahlia, the answers resoundingly came back to a place where people could access healthy, affordable food and have spaces to be together. Nearly a decade and six Fish Frys and Farmers Market seasons later, Dahlia Campus has fulfilled its promise many times over.

“It is a very human thing to feed people that can’t afford food, especially at times when they need something in their stomach,” said Jerry Alexander, a community member and Fish Fry 2025 attendee. “That’s what WellPower does at Dahlia Campus. WellPower is looking out for our fellow human beings. This beautiful place – these gardens and the farm – it’s a place for our community to be together.” 

If You Build It, They Will Come 

Dahlia Campus’ uniqueness extends beyond the aquaponic greenhouse and in-ground farm. The building also serves as a hub for WellPower’s clinical services, hosts a dental clinic for children, a pre-school and an intensive day treatment facility called Skyline Academy. 

Additionally, people can volunteer on the farm and in the greenhouse, rent out spaces for events and stroll through the alcove gardens at their leisure.  

The combination of programs, spaces, events and opportunities fills a multitude of well-being needs for physical health, community connection, behavioral health and more. 

“Dahlia Campus has opened up the community in this area,” said Kathy Ehret, a vocational project coordinator with WellPower’s NextChapter program. “The farm and the aquaponic greenhouse bring livelihood to every person that lives in this community and beyond. It’s such a welcoming space, too, and it’s a joy to hold events here. I come and volunteer here every year for the Fish Fry, which has been great for meeting a lot of new people and promoting mental health and well-being.” 

Bringing It All Together 

It may seem confusing for a behavioral health organization like WellPower to host a Fish Fry, but everything we understand about well-being tells us that events like this are crucial for community health and happiness. 

At any point during the Fish Fry, you could look around and see well-being in action. People of all ages chatted and ate good food together. Families strolled through the alcove gardens and stopped to talk to vendors at the Farmers Market. WellPower staff and community members congregated as one over plates of fried fish and homegrown greens. 

At its heart, WellPower’s Dahlia Campus is a place where well-being comes to life. Events like the Fish Fry bring our communities together, help people find connections and introduce behavioral health care in friendly, approachable ways. 

“Building connections is the core of what we do here,” said Cooper. “There aren’t many other places I can think of where you can get your physical, mental and emotional needs met like you can at Dahlia Campus. At events like this, you can meet the people growing your food, talk to a therapist and attend classes for your well-being, all at the same place. I think that’s pretty cool.” 

To learn more about WellPower’s Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being, rent space for your own event and much more, visit us at wellpower.org/dahlia-campus. For volunteer opportunities with our Farms & Gardens, please visit wellpower.org/volunteer.