WORTH NOTING
Watch & Create
Free Library Lessons
Interested in finding a new hobby or want to get better at one? Then head to your local library.
Many have started offering free, online lessons on everything from knitting to painting to wreath-making and more.
One place to start is with Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Creativebug (cuyahogalibrary.org). You can apply for a card online to access Creativebug, and then create a separate account with a password. It takes a couple of minutes. If you get stuck, stop in or call your local CCPL branch and someone will help you.
Many library systems have similar free, online classes. Go to their websites, look for a class and start creating.
Cold-Weather
Utility Help
Just a reminder: if you’re having difficulty paying your energy bill or know you won’t be able to cover heating costs this winter, visit energyhelp.ohio.gov to apply for assistance.
Income guidelines are $25,525 for a single-person household and $34,520 for two people. Last year, the Winter Crisis Program assisted more than 67,000 Ohio households, paying $19 million in benefits.
One-Stop Shop
Food Bank Resource Center
Now here’s a good idea: Greater Cleveland Food Bank has opened a Community Resource Center to provide food and social services (legal, education, employment and others) to Northeast Ohio residents.
Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s Community Resource Center is at 15500 South Waterloo Road in Cleveland. Its hours are Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m.-noon.
If you need food, call the Food Bank’s Help Center at 216-738-2067.
No Coats;
Just Money, Please
A popular, long-time charity—Coats for Kids-Cleveland—will no longer collect used coats to give away. Instead, they’re collecting cash donations this year to buy new coats. Working with teachers, school counselors and social service agencies in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina and Summit counties, they’ll provide coats for low-income students through eighth grade.
The change will streamline the charitable program, getting coats to children more efficiently, according to the organization’s website. So find another home for those used coats and consider a donation to Coats for Kids-Cleveland.
If you’re feeling extra generous, why not sponsor a school? A donation of $2,500 buys 100-125 new coats. Coats for Kids buys them in bulk in assorted sizes and will ship them to the school on your behalf, where they’ll be distributed. Learn more at coatsforkidscleveland.org.
