Akron Life December 2022

FINANCIAL PLANNING

by Nathalia Teixeira

Giving Season Get your donations in to local charities by the end of the year.

Giving Doll Started by Ohioan Jan Householder, hand-sewn dolls have been given to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients, families at Ronald McDonald houses, children in Haiti and recently, com munity members in Uvalde, Texas, where an elementary school shooting took place. Over 64,800 dolls have been donated locally and to 64 countries. Visit its Norton shop. Your Impact: Help vol unteers sew and deliver dolls to children in need of comfort, to local spots such as Akron Children’s Hospital, local fire and police stations, Summit County Child and Family Services, homeless shelters and more. Norton, thegivingdoll.org Goodwill Shopping at Goodwill thrift stores supports its mission of helping individuals prepare for, find and retain employment, but you can donate too. Your Impact: Contribute to every thing from career counseling and assistance to facilitating and providing job training and other community-based pro grams for people with disabili ties, at-risk youths and others. Akron, goodwillakron.org

Ministries has provided free shelter, food and clothing to thousands of people without housing. It also focuses on help ing people find employment and other means of transition ing out of homelessness. Your Impact: Assist in providing meals, shelter or clothing, life changing programs and counsel ing. Akron, havenofrest.org Pegasus Farm With five students, two horses and one backyard, Pegasus Farm opened as a therapeutic equestrian program in spring 1986. Now it serves about 500 people annually, many of whom have emotional, developmental, behavioral, cognitive or physical challenges, and horses provide positive benefits to help them learn independence and grow beyond ways they do in daily life. Plus, it employs people with developmental disabilities. Your Impact: Help provide supplies, horse therapy and scholarships to attend the pro grams, and support the military center that helps veterans, first responders and their families. Hartville, pegasusfarm.org Rahab Ministries Human trafficking and prostitu tion happen in our region, and Rahab Ministries works to pre vent trafficking and help victims. Your Impact: It has drop-in cen ters for at-risk youths and adults, a partnership with Summit

photo courtesy of Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank

! " # $ % &' $ ! ! ( ) ! Akron-Canton

More than 600 food pantries, hot meal locations, shelters and other hunger-relief initiatives are run by foodbank member pro grams in eight Northeast Ohio counties. Your Impact: Join the holiday campaign in December by volunteering, donating — $1 amounts to four meals — or taking part in the 10th annual Selfless Elf 5K Dec. 17 to raise money and awareness. Akron based, akroncantonfoodbank.org

Regional Foodbank Inflation and the pandemic have contributed to a 14 percent increase in people using local hunger relief programs, with 25 percent of people being first timers, and food donations are down by 27 percent, according to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank — the need is urgent.

Haven of Rest Ministries

Celebrating its 80th anniver sary in 2023, Haven of Rest

66

a k r o n l i f e . c o m | D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2