Portage County youth group home changing operators
- Wendy DiAlesandro. It’s a well known journalistic truth: people stop reading when they see numbers. Would they still stop if they realized that each statistic represents a teenager’s daily life?
Help
How Portage County nonprofits fund themselves to help others
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Nonprofit organizations have to keep their doors open and services running with uncertain revenue, much of it arriving at the end of the year, said Axess Family Services Executive Director Mark Frisone. People feel generous during the holiday season, or maybe they’re looking for a tax break.
Kent Pride Fest creates emergency relief one dollar at a time
- Adriana Gasiewski. With the help of a Morgan Startup Grant, a grant the Burton D. Morgan Foundation donated to LaunchNET at Kent State University, owner of Sun in Leo Justine Gallo was able to open her upcycled clothing boutique in January 2023.
Community donations helped food pantries survive SNAP shutdown
- Amanda Smith. Community donations helped food pantries in Summit and Portage counties meet rising demand last year, even as government funding declined and a temporary SNAP disruption sent more families seeking help for the first time.
From the publisher: New podcast series reveals hunger problem in Portage County
- Ben Wolford.
Six-hour bread lines. A person digs through the garbage. A 75-year-old Army veteran wonders aloud: “What the hell am I going to eat?”
Restoration of VANTAGE employment funding a relief for local nonprofits
The loss of a single employee can make a huge difference. So when a handful of federally subsidized employees returned to their workplaces Oct. 6, their bosses indulged in a collective sigh of relief.
New charity forms to support Aurora Food Pantry
- Lauren Cohen.
The Aurora VFW Post 2629 and the Knights of Columbus Council 14186 have been purchasing food for the Aurora Food Pantry for several years, donating over $36,000 of perishable food yearly as one of their community projects. But the need for assistance is growing.
PUCO issues reconnect order so customers won’t lose gas, electric during winter
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on Sept.18 issued a Special Reconnect Order ensuring that people served by PUCO-regulated utilities won’t have their gas or electric service cut from Oct. 13, 2025, through April 15, 2026.
Shower, laundry program restarting at Axess Family Services
Starting this week, Axess Family Services is resurrecting a hygiene program that was one of many shuttered during the Covid era.
Federal funding delay hits Portage County families in need of food and shelter
A FEMA program that has provided emergency food and shelter for over four decades has not released funding under the Trump administration, leaving local aid organizations to increasingly rely on local donors — if they can be found.
Portage Foundation creates LGBTQ+ Fund after new law shuts down higher ed support
The Portage Foundation is offering financial resources to the county’s LGBT community through a fund created after a new law forced campuses to close centers devoted to scholarships and emergency assistance.
New jail transport program has already helped 173 people
In the first six months of a new Portage County Jail transportation program, 173 people recently released from the jail have taken advantage of free rides to a PARTA hub, personally accompanied by a social worker offering help with employment and housing.
Kent Council to consider increasing Shepherd’s House warming center support
Kent City Council is poised to increase its contribution to Shepherd’s House by $4,000, bringing the city’s yearly contribution to $12,000.
Portage County food pantries face shortages because of federal cuts
Portage County’s food pantries and programs are among the first local victims of federal funding cuts, and the state is poised to compound the blow.
Kent Hotel will serve 75 free lunches for Kent Social Services
Kent Social Services’ usual staff of cooks and servers will make way March 20 for the leadership team of the Kent State University Hotel & Conference Center, aka The Kent Hotel.
Axess Family Services and Children’s Advantage announce merger
Axess Family Services and Children’s Advantage on Feb. 19 announced that the two nonprofits are merging.
The warming center at Shepherd’s House is now open and seeking volunteers
The Shepherd’s House warming center will be open until further notice. The shelter opens at 4 p.m. and dinner is served at 5 p.m. People are encouraged to arrive before the shelter’s 8 p.m. curfew.
How Kent leaders and local organizations are meeting the need for warmth
Even though Kent is the county’s most populous city — the U.S. Census estimates 27,601 people, about 25% of whom live in poverty — Kent does not have an overnight warming center.