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 ›

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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Lakewood Community Services Center: Need for Assistance Keeps Growing

The Lakewood organization, located at 14230 Madison Avenue, has seen a 50 percent increase during the past year. You can help.

The story’s the same for many hunger relief organizations across the country: More people are turning to them for assistance. But there’s less funding for the organizations. In other words, they’re doing more with less. It’s no different for Lakewood Community Services Center. The Lakewood organization, located at 14230 Madison Avenue, has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of people needing assistance during the past year. LCSC now provides food to a whopping 14 percent of the city’s population. Unemployment has played a role, but Trish Rooney, LCSC’s executive director, said there are myriad other reasons why the need keeps growing. “People are on fixed income,” she said. “It’s the horrendous rising cost of food. If you were on …

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Residents Wait Two Hours for a Thanksgiving Turkey

As demand swells, funding has shriveled at Lakewood Community Service Center.

People were lined down Madison Avenue, some arriving as early as 7:30 a.m and waiting more than two hours. There was no concert, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 wasn’t set to be released until Tuesday. These people were waiting on something a little more important than a video game. Trish Rooney, executive director at Lakewood Community Service Center (LCSC), said people were there to sign up for a Thanksgiving Day food basket, including a turkey, for the holidays. “We’ve never seen anything close to this before,” Rooney said. After making people aware of the sign-ups at produce distribution, hot meals and other events, LCSC opened at 10 a.m., with 180 slots for baskets. By 12:30 p.m. last Monday, they had all been filled. “It’s just …

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