Many families tend to volunteer at “soup kitchens” or community hot meals around the winter holidays. But did you know that nearly every day of every month a hot meal is served here in Lakewood, and every day there are volunteer opportunities at hot meals in Cleveland? These meals, which feed anywhere from 40-100 people, need volunteers mostly during non-holiday times. Though many are hosted in churches, meals are non-denominational and volunteers or patrons do not need to be a member of their parish or even their faith.
A list of community hot meals for both Lakewood and Cleveland is maintained by the Lakewood Christian Service Center. They can be contacted at 216/226-6466 Tuesday-Friday: 10 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. and Wednesday evenings: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
This Program was started in 1995 to help beautify the city. Lakewood residents volunteer to plant and maintain public green spaces from spring through fall. The Keep Lakewood Beautiful (KLB) organization purchases perennials, leaf humus and equipment and the Division of Parks and Property purchases annuals and helps prepare plots. The program started with 15 spots in 1995 and has grown to 52 spots. To become an Adopt-a-Spot volunteer visit the Keep Lakewood Beautiful Office at 12650 Detroit Avenue or call 216/529-6170.
Lakewood Earth and Food Community (LEAF)
Lakewood Earth and Food Community is dedicated to the development of a more sustainable, healthful and economically viable community through environmentally responsible actions producing broad access to the purchasing, growing and trading of fresh, local foods, knowledge and culture. They operate a weekly produce distribution, supporting local farms and urban gardens. They also coordinate the allocation and maintenance of over 130 garden plots at Cove, Kauffman, Madison, and Webb Parks, as well as the Plover Garden. Each growing season, plots are available to the Lakewood community for a small fee. What a great community-oriented learning opportunity for a family!
There are many other volunteer opportunities with LEAF; in fact, there are options for all ages, interests and skills. You can fill out a volunteer form on their homepage: http://leafcommunity.org/. This will help them identify whom to contact for future events and volunteer opportunities.
H2O
H2O "Help to Others" is a service learning program for middle and high school students. It is a collaborative effort between the Department of Human Services/Youth and Lakewood City Schools. This program is dedicated to strengthening and enriching this community by engaging its young people as community builders. H2O benefits the community by matching service requests from civic organizations and non-profit agencies with a ready corps of talented young volunteers. Visit their website for additional information: www.onelakewood.com/HumanServices/Youth/H2O/
Local Animal Shelters
The Lakewood Animal Shelter, located in the beautiful Cleveland Metroparks, offers a variety of volunteering opportunities. Any time during their hours of operation (Tuesday + Thursday 12-6, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 12-4) families can help by socializing with the currently sheltered cats and dogs. In addition, every Saturday from 11:00 until 4:00 volunteers are needed to help with socializing, cleaning cages and dog runs, doing laundry, washing dishes, scrubbing floors, etc. This is a great way for children to see the realities involved in caring for a pet and gain a deeper understanding of the kind of commitment welcoming a pet into your family entails.
Please note: The Lakewood Animal Shelter houses animals that are picked up as stray around the City of Lakewood; however, they are not large enough to accept surrendered pets.
Want to volunteer at a shelter outside of Lakewood?
Use this link to find the area shelters, breed rescues, and animal adoption organizations nearest you for additional pet-related volunteer opportunities outside of Lakewood: www.petfinder.com/awo/index.cgi?action=state&state=OH
Lakewood Department of Human Services
The Department of Human Services is grateful for the thousands of service hours provided by volunteers of all ages. From meal delivery to the annual flu clinic campaign, these individuals help to define Lakewood as a strong, civic-minded community.
The following is a list of volunteer opportunities available within the Department of Human Services. The list is always growing and they welcome your ideas. If you have a particular skill or interest that would enhance their services, contact them at 216/529-6685.
Community Emergency Response Team www.westshorecert.org or contact Mike Tuttle, Lakewood CERT Coordinator, at 529-6657.
Do you have a great family-related resource, event or tidbit of information that you want to tell us about?
Submissions for the Lakewood Public Library Parent Pages can be emailed to akloss@lkwdpl.org
