We asked our readers what their local friends and neighbors should be more aware of this year. Below is a featured selection of their answers.

Q.  What issue should Kern County residents be more aware of in 2023?

A social issue that residents should be aware of is the simplicity of greeting strangers with hello. Just a little kindness and smile makes their day. I know it does mine, so I make it a point if I make eye contact, I say a warm greeting. - Marietta Mahinan

Environmental care and prevention of drug addiction in our children. - Anabel Reynoso

Kids ordering vapes, smokes and other things off of Snapchat and other social media sites. - Amanda Landon

None. Get out and hug someone! - Mindy Munoz

Economic insecurity. - Emily Cross

Those in need and how we can serve them, from the homeless and children in foster care to lonely seniors and everyone in-between. - Trina Jernigan

Adoption of children. There are so many children that need loving forever homes. Foster care takes a big heart and lots of love. - Valerie Gonzalez

Hunger among school aged students. - Andrea Montalvo

People need to be more friendly and understanding. - Anna Bonilla

Valley fever in the Valley. - Janet Maness

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Bullying in schools! Many moms are unaware that their children are bullies. More parents need to teach their children to be kind. - Evelyn Chavarin

Kern County residents should be mindful when considering the homelessness in our area. While it does need to be addressed and resolved, those suffering are our fellow human beings and I think that gets overlooked more often than not. That’s somebody’s child out there. - Johnnie Lisuk

Mental health. - Shawna Shelton

Preparing our teens to be responsible adults. - Kathy Gillis

Respect for others is something I always love to see, like opening the door for others and being polite to retail workers. I wish there were less reports of shoplifting, dangerous driving and illegal substance use and more instances of courtesy.  I also think overuse of social media and electronic communications.  We need more human interaction in the real world with kindness in the mix. - Kristen Foster

I believe an issue that residents should be made aware of is the lack of affordable extracurricular activities for children. Most are out of budget for many parents. - Luz Garcia