Federal Sequester to Slash $80,000 in Lakewood Funding

Service programs and local non-profits will feel the pinch.

City officials received word late Monday afternoon that the affects of the federal Congressional sequester will soon hit home in Lakewood. The federal government sent notice to the mayor’s office that the city will lose about 5 percent — or about $80,000 — of its community development block grant funding. “Our fear was CDBG funding,” said Mayor Michael Summers. “Our only consolation is that it’s only 5 percent. Many of the sequester formulas are in the 8 to 10 percent range. We hope this holds firm. This is serious.” Funding for a homeless prevention program was also cut. CDBG money funds various services and programs around the city, including the Lakewood Community Services Center and LakewoodAlive.  “We expected a slight reduction, but …

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8:16 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Simple: cut pay $ 80,000. Divided by approx. 505 city employees = $158.42 cut in yearly salary. Cut proportional.   more ›

Helping Out Lakewood Neighbors in Need for the Holidays

The number of needy residents has skyrocketed, while funding has dropped. Here are some ways you can get help.

The holidays are a good time to spend time with family and friends, but they’re also a great time to offer a hand to those in need. And, in Lakewood, there are plenty of ways to help. There are a number of organizations — including the Lakewood Community Services Center and the Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corporation — and several hot meals in Lakewood looking to help out needy Lakewood families.  And there’s no shortage of those.  According to the 2011 US Census data, more than 17 percent of Lakewood's population is below the poverty line. That’s high, compared with the state average, at 14.8 percent. The recession hasn’t helped. “There’s just so many people coming through,” said Trish Rooney, the director of Lakewood Community …

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Christine K Crawford

2:04 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012

Volunteers are needed today and tomorrow for the LCAC Christmas food bag distribution. No need to register, just show up...and bring a friend. See the blog below for more details http://lakewood-oh.patch.com/blog_posts/volunteers-needed-today-and-tomorrow-for-lcac-holiday-food-basket-event   more ›

Hundreds Wait In Line for Thanksgiving Dinners

Lakewood Community Services Center teams up with Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corp. to pass our turkey dinners to the city’s neediest residents.

A line stretched from the Lakewood Community Services Center on Madison Avenue around the corner of Roosevelt Avenue on Monday morning. As many as 200 people braved November’s chill for an opportunity to sign up for a Thanksgiving turkey dinner.  LCSC and the Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corporation partnered again this year to provide hundreds of turkey dinners to the city’s neediest families.  LCA is donating 100 turkeys for Thanksgiving and another 100 for Christmas; while LCSC also obtained another 128 turkeys from the Cleveland Foodbank. And it’s not just turkeys. The clients will also receive instant mashed potatoes, canned vegetables and other goodies. Horace Mann Elementary School and the Lakewood Catholic Academy are also …

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'Got Green?' Event Raises $40,000 for Neediest Residents

Trish Rooney, the director of the Lakewood Community Services Center, said she had hoped to raise more than $40,000 for Lakewood neediest residents. More than 270 attended and help the organization reach the lofty goal.

If the goal of the Got Green? fundraiser was to have fun and raise money for the Lakewood Community Services Center, mission accomplished. On both fronts. Trish Rooney, the director of the Lakewood Community Services Center, said she had hoped to raise more than $40,000 for Lakewood neediest residents. The proceeds will benefit LCSC's client programs and services. The organization is providing emergency food and homeless prevention assistance to more than 9,000 Lakewood residents “who need us more than ever before.” With this year's raffle — which included contributions from dozens of Lakewood and local business — the event exceeded the goal. "This gets bigger every year, and the crowd gets younger," said Rooney.  More than 270 people …

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‘Got Green?’ Combines Food, Fun and Help for Lakewood’s Neediest Residents

Lakewood Community Services Center will host its third-annual fundraiser at the community garden in Madison Park this Friday.

Some things never change. The annual Got Green? fundraiser is about folks enjoying delicious food, music and neighbors helping out their neighbors. Hosted by the Lakewood Community Services Center, the event is set to take place at Madison Park’s community garden from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday. This year, celebrity chef 
Steve Schimoler, of the award-winning Crop Bar and Bistro, will serve up the gourmet food. The goal is to raise money for LCSC’s client programs and services. The organization is providing emergency food and homeless prevention assistance to more than 9,000 Lakewood residents “who need us more than ever before.” LCSC, marking its 30th year in the community, has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of people needing …

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Helping Out Others at the Westerly

Volunteers — including a dozen from Help to Others — distribute more than 100 bags of food to seniors on Friday.

Volunteers from Help to Others helped to distribute a week’s worth of groceries to 121 senior citizens at the Westerly on Friday. With food provided by the Lakewood Community Services Center, the volunteers passed out an array of food — with items that included milk, canned goods, fresh fruit and popcorn. John Moran, the operations manager for the LCSC, said organization has four food drop-offs at area senior living centers in the city each month.

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Editor's Notebook

Diaper Drive Donations Rolling In, More Help Needed

The Lakewood Community Services Center has provided diapers to families with the help of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, but now LCSC needs your help.

When we asked Lakewood Patch readers to pitch in, and donate diapers to the Lakewood Community Services Center, they answered the call. LCSC officials said residents immediately began dropping off diapers to our community's most needy residents. Large boxes full of diapers in the LCSC warehouse on Madison Avenue tell the story. However, more help is needed. The Lakewood Community Services Center has provided diapers to families with the help of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, but with a lack of funding, the church is discontinuing the diaper assistance program. Food stamps don’t pay for them. Neither does WIC, the federally funded program for women, infants and children. Trish Rooney, the director of LCSC, said that with the high cost of…

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Diapers Needed For Your Lakewood Neighbors

Lakewood Patch hosting a Diaper Drive with Lakewood Community Services Center to get diapers for our city's neediest residents.

To buy diapers or pay the utility bill…  It’s a decision many Lakewood residents are facing. The Lakewood Community Services Center has provided diapers to families with the help of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, but with a lack of funding, the church is discontinuing the diaper assistance program. Food stamps don’t pay for them. Neither does WIC, the federally funded program for women, infants and children. Trish Rooney, the director of LCSC, said that with the high cost of disposable diapers, more than 100 of her clients rely on the extra help. “They come in for vouchers and we just didn’t have them,” she said. “Disposable diapers are expensive and food stamps don’t pay for them.” Lakewood Patch is hosting a Diaper Drive to help LCSC …

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Colin McEwen

1:31 pm on Thursday, April 12, 2012

Allison, good questions. I'd give LCSC a call at 216-226-6466. Thanks!   more ›

VIDEO: Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Lakewood

There are more 40 volunteers at the Lakewood Community Services Center who offer their free time to help others. Want to join them? There's definitely a need.

At the Lakewood Community Services Center on Madison Avenue, the need for hunger relief assistance has only gone up. And the funding’s only gone down. Fortunately, local volunteers have stepped up to help.

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Last Chance: Claim Your Patch Places Page This Month to Help a Lakewood Charity

By claiming your free Patch page, you’ll help the Lakewood Community Services Center earn free advertising on this site.

Lakewood business owners—have you claimed your free Patch Places page yet? If you haven’t, we have an extra incentive for you this month. If you claim your business listing (essentially a free web page) before the end of March, we’ll give the Lakewood Community Services Center $5 in advertising for each listing claimed. So, other than helping the services center, what’s in it for you and your business? Plenty! When you claim your Patch Places listing, you can update some of the existing information—like your phone number or hours—add extra details about what your business does, share new photos and respond to reader reviews. And it’s easy to do. Check out the video above for step-by-step directions. If you still have questions, don’t …

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