Can You Help Fill An Empty Shelf?

If you’re like me, you know what it’s like to be hungry. So you go to your refrigerator or your cupboard, open the door – and find yourself staring at an empty shelf. After a long minute, you slowly close the door and sit back down, still hungry. Then you get up, go out and buy some food.

There are a lot of people who face empty shelves every day. Unlike you and me though, they can’t just go to the grocery store. They don’t have the money. Their shelves are consistently empty. A lot of those people live here in Euclid. There’s a good chance you know them. You just don’t know they’re hungry.

If you knew how to help them, would you? Well, here’s your chance. On Thursday, June 14 the Euclid Hunger Center is having a fundraiser at Briardale Greens. It’s a great opportunity for a great cause - filling an empty shelf to feed a hungry person or family.

Before I give you the details, let me give you some stats on Euclid that emphasize the need that the Euclid Hunger Center addresses on a daily basis:

- In Euclid, approx 7,400 people live in poverty

- In Euclid, approx 3,800 Euclid Schools students are at or below the poverty level

- In Euclid, approx 6,100 households are headed by single parents

- In Euclid, roughly 2,200 working age adults are unemployed

- In Euclid, there are approx 7,800 Seniors living on fixed incomes

Now let me give you some stats on the Hunger Center. EHC is located inside Shore Cultural Centre and has been helping Euclid residents for over ten years. Every week volunteers bag food either donated by or purchased with donations from caring, concerned folks like you. Every month they distribute those bags to over 1,200 of our neighbors and friends.

And here’s a little known fact - Every $1 the Hunger Center raises provides 10 meals. Those volunteers know how to stretch a buck.

The Euclid Hunger Center helps everyone it can who needs help. It could be an elderly senior with little left over after paying bills. It could be a single mom making minimum wage while raising two kids. It could be your neighbor who’s been out of work for two years or a friend facing foreclosure and bankruptcy because of medical bills. 

Now if you’re willing and if you’re able, there are several ways you can help the Hunger Center fill a bag to fill an empty shelf. You can send a donation to EHC, POB 23446, Euclid OH 44123 or you can donate online by visiting their website here. You can also drop off your papers in the Abitibi bins behind Shore. Proceeds go directly to the Hunger Center.

And if you want to help AND have fun at the same time, you can join other supporters of EHC on Thursday June 14 at The Pavilion at Briardale Greens off Babbitt. The summer fundraiser is from 6-9pm, and for just $20 ($25 at the door), you can enjoy Food, Live Music and Prizes. All proceeds benefit the Euclid Hunger Center. 

The summer fundraiser is just two weeks away, so before you forget – call the Euclid Hunger Center today at (216)731-3329 and reserve a ticket (or two).

There’s almost nothing more disheartening then facing an empty shelf on an empty stomach and knowing it won’t be filled any time soon.

The Euclid Hunger Center’s mission is to help fill those shelves, but it can’t fill them with good intentions.  It needs your help. Whichever route you choose, your donation is appreciated by both the Hunger Center and by the people the Hunger Center helps.

Thanks for your time. I hope you can make the summer fundraiser on Thursday, June 14 between 6pm and 9pm at the Pavilion at Briardale Greens. It should be fun.

E.185 Alive, Jail on Hold, Speed Cameras Tabled & Farmers Market

Lots of little news to spread this week. For starters, Sat May 19 is E.185 Alive put on by Cleveland’s Northeast Shores Development Corp. Parade starts at Neff at 11am and ends up at VA/SJ. There will be sidewalk sales and activities throughout the day till 5pm. Abby Ave by Old World Meats and BG’s Old World Tavern is holding a one day street-garage sale from 9am-5pm with about 10 households participating. Should be a great time.

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Last month in a surprise move, Mayor Cervenik announced at the Safety Committee meeting that the County recommended he put his $3MM new jail on hold. They wouldn’t/couldn’t commit to giving the City county prisoners – a revenue source the Mayor was counting on to justify the new building. In light of the news, the Mayor & Council should cut our losses by closing the jail except for a few holding cells. Such a move could save the City anywhere from $500k to $1MM. Then take the $3.2MM the Mayor was planning on borrowing and put it into a breakwall. Such a move would send a strong message to K&D that Euclid really is committed to lakefront development. Maybe strong enough to finally get a marina going.
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Kudos to the south side advocates who came to the April 25 Safety Committee to speak out against speed cameras in school zones. At the April 4 meeting, the Mayor had admitted to the Committee he would use the money to shore up the depleted Workman’s Comp and Self Insurance Funds, and that he’d like to set up a fund for Retiree payouts. In other words, the cameras were to be a revenue source. Thanks in large part to the residents, the plan died in committee.
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Ward 1 Councilman David Gilliham announced his resignation effective July 1. Council will have to pick a replacement. Any Ward 1 resident interested in representing the southwest corner of the City until the Nov '13 elections should contact City Council at 289-8123 for info.
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Starting Fri May 25th from 4-7pm, the Farmers Market returns to Shore each Friday. The Farmers Market is a great use of public space that benefits everybody (see my Sustainable Culture page to find out why)