Cranston United Against Violence & Abuse held a Service Providers Breakfast on Jan. 20 in the Cranston Police Department Community Room.

The event served as an opportunity for local service providers and other social service and education professionals to network, for the purpose of sharing expertise, learning ways to collaborate and getting a better understanding of the services offered by other agencies. By communicating with each other, service providers said they hoped to enhance the experiences of families involved with multiple agencies and open up the possibilities for future collaboration.

There were 30 people in attendance at the event, representing 23 community agencies and schools. A wide range of social service fields were represented, including substance abuse, mental health, education and child-care, senior services, legal services and even the public library.