Stark County roundup: News from around the Canton region

The Repository
·5 min read
Walkers brave the 33-degree weather at Jackson North Park in Jackson Township while passing a brightly lit gazebo.
Walkers brave the 33-degree weather at Jackson North Park in Jackson Township while passing a brightly lit gazebo.

Free ham dinners on Christmas

CANTON – The Basilica of St. John and St. Peter Church will provide free Christmas ham dinners to anyone who wants them from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 25 at St. John Hall, 6th Street and McKinley Avenue NW.

The meals are for pickup only; there is no dine-in option. No registration is needed, and people can pick up multiple meals. For more information, call 330-354-0111

Backpack for Kids distribution during winter break

CANTON – Stark County Hunger Task Force will have a Backpack for Kids program distribution Monday through Friday and Dec. 27 through 31.

Each day, the agency will distribute bags of weekend meals at the Ken Weber Community Campus at Goodwill, 408 Ninth St. SW, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the emergency pantry. Each bag will contain two breakfasts, two lunches, three snacks, and shelf-stable milk.

The distribution is open to families in Stark County with children from 3 to 17 years old. Households will receive one weekend bag for each child in the household. A parent or guardian must present a photo ID, and children need not be present. Income guidelines apply. Masks are required for entry into the Backpack for Kids distribution. For questions, contact Executive Director Stephanie Sweany at 330-455-6667 or stephanie@starkhunger.org.

Operating entirely on donations, Stark County Hunger Task Force provides free groceries to more than 34,000 people every month through nearly 40 pantries, “Backpacks for Kids” programs and an onsite emergency pantry. For more information, call 330-455-6667 or visit www.starkhunger.org.

McDonald’s helps Refuge of Hope Ministries

CANTON – TomTreyCo McDonald’s Restaurants in Stark County are collecting donation items until Dec. 30 for the Refuge of Hope Ministries’ Layers of Hope drive, which helps provide coats and winter clothing for people in need this holiday season. Refuge of Hope Ministries is at 715 Second St. NE.

Collection bins will be located at McDonald’s restaurants for community members to donate new coats, lightly used clean coats, sweatshirts, jackets, and other warm clothing and accessories.

The donation locations are:

  • Canal Fulton: 2151 Locust St.

  • Canton: 2331 Faircrest St. SW, 3101 Cleveland Ave. N and 3251 Mahoning Road NE

  • Canton Township: 3713 17th Street SW, 4025 Lincoln St. E and 3109 Cleveland Ave. S

  • Jackson Township: 5554 Wales Ave. NW, 6855 Sunset Strip Ave. NW and 4643 Belden Village St. NW

  • Plain Township: 6302 Market Ave. N

  • North Canton: 1407 N. Main St.

Hope and Healing after-abortion support group to meet

CANTON − Hope and Healing’s Women of Worth after-abortion support group will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. The group meets on the third Wednesday of each month. In addition, abortion healing groups are forming now for January and February.

Call or text 330-834-8224 for details and location information.

Sippo Lake Parkrun

PERRY TWP. – The Sippo Lake Parkrun will be 8 a.m. Saturday and Dec. 31 at Sippo Lake Park-North, 5712 12th St. NW. This is a free and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate.

Register at https://www.parkrun.us/register/?section=form&eventName=sippolake&e=sippolake.

Coffee with a Cop is Tuesday

PLAIN TWP. – The Stark County Sheriff's Office’s next Coffee with a Cop event will be at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the BellStores, 6356 Market Ave. N.

The Coffee with a Cop program is designed to provide an opportunity for community members to learn more about the Sheriff’s Office. The community can ask questions, bring concerns, or simply get to know the Sheriff's Office members better. The Coffee with a Cop program is a national initiative.

For more information, call 330-430-3889. Citizens can also communicate with the Stark County Sheriff’s Office using the mobile app, which can be downloaded for free via the app store on any smartphone by searching Stark Sheriff Ohio.

Heartland Behavioral Healthcare awarded accreditation

MASSILLON – Heartland Behavioral Healthcare, 3000 Erie St. S, is among the six regional psychiatric hospitals operated by the state that have earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Hospital Accreditation, according to the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

It earned the designation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care, according to a news release.

Donate blood

The American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region has announced several blood donation opportunities for December in Stark County. Appointments can be scheduled by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 800-733-2767.

Those who come to give from Dec. 16 through Jan. 2 will get a Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities are:

Alliance

  • 1 to 6 p.m. Dec. 21 at the Alliance Elks Lodge No 467, 606 Glamorgan St.

  • 1 to 6 p.m. Dec. 29 at the YMCA-Alliance, 205 S. Union Ave.

Jackson Township

  • 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 28 at the Paul & Carol David YMCA, 7389 Caritas Circle NW.

Lake Township

  • 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Lake Community YMCA, 428 King Church Ave. SW.

Massillon

  • 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 27 at the Massillon Recreation Center, 505 Erie St. N.

Plain Township

  • Noon to 6 p.m. Dec. 28 at the Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities, 2950 Whipple Ave. NW.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County roundup: News from around the Canton region