news from the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, 800-227-2345 x1, website:
The Road to Recovery program provides free rides to and from cancer-related treatments for Durham County residents. You need to give at least four business days’ notice, with the date, time, and location of your appointment. This service operates on weekdays, 8am to 5pm, and it relies on volunteer drivers—so if you have the time and ability to offer assistance as a driver, please click here for more information. Drivers might not be able to accommodate physically disabled patients, but it’s usually okay to take a friend/family member who can help you in and out the vehicle. 
news from the AMERICAN RED CROSS, Central North Carolina chapter: 4737 University Dr, Bldg 3, 919-489-6541, website.
Learn how to save a life and gain other skills that can come in handy in an emergency:
ONLINE CLASSES—These can be taken at your convenience after you’ve paid for them:
news from the CITY OF DURHAM — NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT SERVICES:
Do you have a good idea for improving your neighborhood, but need some support in making it happen? Apply for a Neighborhood Matching Grant (NMG). The NMG program provides matching funds for projects put together by community-based organizations, such as neighborhood associations, homeowners associations (HOAs), community watch groups, and resident groups. Groups associated with houses of worship where a large part of the congregation doesn’t live in the community won’t be eligible. The idea behind this program is to help leverage/encourage resident involvement in solving local problems, while also forming and enhancing partnerships between the community and the City. Up to $2,500 in matching funds can be requested for improvement projects, such as installing bike racks, picnic areas, street furniture, and community gardens; one-time events, such as block parties, leadership trainings, and youth programs; or longterm projects, such as crime-prevention programs and energy/sustainability projects. The neighborhood group’s “matching” requirement can be fulfilled by volunteer labor (valued at $24.14/hour), professional services (valued at fair-market rates), material donations, and/or cash. Click here for more info, and be sure to contact Alexis John at 919-560-1647 x34252 or alexis.john@durhamnc.gov. The application deadline is Friday, January 31. This is a great opportunity to help your community—Good luck! 
news from the CITY OF DURHAM — SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT:
You can drop off Hazardous Household Waste on Tuesdays and Wednesdays noon to 6pm, Thursdays and Fridays 7:30am to 3pm, and Saturdays 7:30am to 3pm, at 1900 E Club Blvd. They'll take paint, used motor oil, pesticides, fertilizers, pool cleaner, strong cleansers, stains, varnishes, and fluorescent bulbs. If necessary, wrap the containers with newspapers to absorb spills and place them cardboard boxes for safe transport. For individuals only, not commercial users. Call the City of Durham—Environmental Resources Dept at 919-560-4381 or visit City of Durham—Hazardous Waste for more info. 
news from the DURHAM ARTS COUNCIL, 120 Morris St, 919-490-0063, website:
The Durham Arts Council will host three Grant Information Sessions for artists and arts organizations that want to learn more about applying for and receiving funding for the coming year. Ask questions, pick up applications, and talk about your ideas for future arts projects and programming. Some of the grants to be discussed with be the Season Grant Program (for annual operations or arts projects), Durham Arts Catalyst Grant Program (for arts projects that introduce Durhamites to the arts), and the Facility Grant Program (for short-term projects, ongoing operations, or annual events).
Visit the Facebook event page for more info. 
news from DURHAM COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTEES, 1208 W Chapel Hill St, 919-490-0063, website:
DCLT is in need of general contractors and subcontractors (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, painters, concrete installers, drywall, masons, framers, roofers, etc) for housing renovation and repair projects. Call to make that connection. 
news from the DURHAM COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, 414 E Main St, 919-560-8000:
LIEAP (the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program) is a federally funded program that provides a one-time payment for eligible households having trouble keeping up with their heating bills. To be eligible, there must be at least one US citizen in the home, you have to be under a certain income, your reserves (money you have access to) must be at or below $2,250, and you have to be the one responsible for paying the heating bill. Applications will be accepted through Friday, March 31 (weekdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm). You’ll need to take your current photo ID, Social Security card, verification of your income, and your heating bill. Call to set an appointment and to get your questions answered, or simply stop by with the required paperwork (Crisis Lobby #27). 
news from DURHAM COUNTY FIRE & RESCUE:
Durham County Fire & Rescue offers a free service where you can have someone carefully check over the child seat that you use in your car or van. There's no industry standard when it comes to their operation and installation and parents are often surprised to find out that they haven’t installed their child seat correctly. The Durham Fire Department no longer offers this service but three of the County stations do:
Be sure to call to make an appointment. 
news from the DURHAM COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, 414 E Main St, 919-560-8000, website:
DSS has a mobile app, which you can use to complete and send applications for Food & Nutrition Services, Work First benefits, and Medicaid. You can also send documents for Crisis/Emergency Assistance applications. Grab your cell phone and go to dssmobile.dconc.gov. You’ll need to enter your date of birth and either your social security number or county case number. The DSS Mobile App is a secure website. By using the camera on your cell phone, you’ll be able to “Click It! Snap It! Send It” and save lots of time and effort. 
news from the DURHAM CRISIS RESPONSE CENTER, 206 N Dillard St, 919-403-6562 (English), 919-519-3735 (Español), website:
Anyone experiencing domestic or sexual violence can always have someone to talk to, and when ready, can aid with taking steps to finding a solution. These helplines are available 24/7; if email is preferred, write to crisisline@durhamcrisisresponse.org. 
news from DURHAM PARKS AND RECREATION, 400 Cleveland St, 919-560-4355:
Teens ages 13 to 18 are invited to check out the #MyDurham program, an afterschool team club that’s held on weekdays from 3 to 7pm. This program, which offers free membership has three components:
#MyDurham is offered at
Membership and participation are free; click here for more info, to see the schedules, and to sign up. 
news from the DURHAM SOLIDARITY CENTER, 1803 Chapel Hill Rd, Suite C, info@durhamsolidarity.org, website:
The Durham Solidarity Center recently held an open house at its new location in the Lakewood community. Totally run by volunteers, the center supports the efforts of social justice workers and organizations. Sound equipment—microphones (both wired and wireless), portable PAs, speakers with speaker stands, and large and small bullhorns—can be borrowed from the DSC office; they’ll also show you how to use the equipment. Supplies, including legal-observer hats, vests for marshals, first-aid supplies, candles and glowsticks for vigils, dropcloths for banner making, and pop-up tents, can also be provided for protests. The DSC’s conference and coworking space can be used for meetings, film screenings, and planning space; ask about details on coworking weekly rates and one-time rentals. The space comes with portable projectors, easels, a button maker, and a large library of subversive and otherwise helpful materials. Click here to reserve the conference room. 
news from DURHAM TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE’s SMALL BUSINESS CENTER (Chesterfield Building, 701 W Main St, Suite 203, 919-536-7241 x4505, website)
Durham Tech’s Small Business Center offers classes, seminars, and webinars for aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs who want to ensure their success in business. Here are a few of the free seminars. Click here to register. Additional free and paid classes and seminars are listed on the website:
news from END HUNGER DURHAM, website:
End Hunger Durham has a mobile resource hub called the Information Station, and they’d like to make it available to houses of worship and other venues with food pantries. The Information Station is a collection of flyers and brochures describing all kinds of community resources that are available to people in need, such as SNAP (food stamps), WIC, Medicaid, Medicare, free or low-cost sources of groceries, hot meals, senior services, recreation, fitness, medical and dental care, and health tips/recipes from the Durham County Department of Public Health. Contact Jacquelyn Blackwell if your organization is interested in signing up for free trainings for food pantry operators and volunteers, and also if you would like the Information Station to be set up at a future special event or during the hours of your next food pantry giveaway. Call 984-364-9662 or write to beamblackwellj@yahoo.com. 
news from the GIRL SCOUTS UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, website:
It’s Girl Scout cookie time! Many of our houses of worship host scout troops, but it’s not always easy to figure out which ones. And sometimes Girl Scout troops sell cookies at the malls and even downtown on occasion. If you download the Cookie Finder app, you can read a description of the cookies and find out where you can buy cookies. You can search by location, date and can view the locations on a map. The troop number and hours are also listed; you can also say whether you want the app to search within a 1-, 5-, 10-mile (or more) radius. The Cookie Finder app is available for both iOs and Android. If you prefer to use your laptop or desktop computer, click here. 
news from the I AM BEAUTIFUL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, contact: ReShockie Furnace, rfurnace@iambeautiful.org, website:
I Am BEAUTIFUL is a new mentoring program for young ladies ages 11 to 18. Life-skills workshops are held every two weeks through April 4. Here’s the schedule (the program started in December, but it’s not too late to join):
news from GIVE BACK BOX, website:
The nice folks at Give Back Box have thought of a way to find a use for your Amazon and other shipping boxes while also helping homeless and other people in need. To participate in this wonderful reuse program, take your box, fill it with household items, toiletries, gently-used clothes, and/or nonperishable food items. Go to the website (see above) and download a prepaid US Postal Service or UPS shipping label made out to your favorite charity (or you can let them pick one). If you don’t have a printer, send your address to them via email, and they’ll mail it to you. You can also arrange to have the box picked up from your location or you can choose to drop it off at the closest UPS store. This is really great for people who have been wanting to drop items off at their local charity, but because of their work schedule, they couldn’t find the time. 
news from the NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED, a service of the Library of Congress, Washington DC:
The National Library Service, in cooperation with libraries across the country, hosts the That All May Read program. People with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a physical disability that keeps them from reading or holding a book can have braille or audio books delivered to them free of charge. You can choose physical books or free downloads. Click here to get started. 
news from the NEW VISIONS OF AFRICA COMMUNITY, 1306 Fayetteville St:
The New Visions of Africa Community announces their participation in the United States Department of Agriculture’s Child and Adult Care Food Program. Locally, this program is run under the Durham Health and Human Services through their Child and Adult Care Food Program. At-risk afterschool programs (serving children living in poverty (or on the line)) are eligible to receive free snacks and meals, which will be delivered on weekday afternoons. Contact Marcia Hargrove at community@nvoac.org for more info. 
news from the NC WORKS CAREER CENTER, 1105 S Briggs Ave, 919-560-6880; website:
news from OPERATION MEDICINE DROP, website:
Formed by a partnership of Safe Kids North Carolina, the Riverkeepers of North Carolina, NC State Bureau of Investigation, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of North Carolina, and local law enforcement agencies, Operation Medicine Drop is an initiative that helps people safely dispose of expired and unused medications. A common practice is to flush them down the toilet, but that poisons the waters and endangers wildlife. Simply tossing them in the trash is also a bad idea. Someone could come along, fish them out, and use them as recreation drugs. A large percentage of overdoses and other drug-related problems are actually due to the abuse of over-the-counter medications (some of which have been improperly disposed of). Operation Medicine Drop provides safe dropoff points for those who want to get rid of their old medications easily and safely. Here are the Durham locations:
news from REINVESTMENT PARTNERS, website:
Low- to moderate-income taxpayers (less than $55,000/year) and retirees with moderate incomes can have their taxes prepared for free by skilled and trained volunteers. You can simply drop in at any of the sites listed below, but make sure that you have the following papers with you:
FREE TAX PREPARATION SITES—VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) and TCE (Tax Counseling for the Elderly); these lists were thoughtfully compiled by Reinvestment Partners, who included other venues’ information along with their own: Click the white button above for the United States Treasury Department list. I used 27701 and conducted a search with a radius of 25 miles (which means some locations in Raleigh, Hillsborough, Apex, Chapel Hill, and Creedmoor are included with the Durham listing).
Click the black button above for info on the Duke Law School VITA site (open to the public; appointment required).
Click the white button above for info on the Duke University Federal Credit Union (open to the public; appointment strongly encouraged).
Click the black button above for info on the North Carolina Central University School of Law site (open to the public).
Click the white button above for the RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) sites (open to the public; no appointment necessary).
news from the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) / NO KID HUNGRY:
Don’t let any child you know go hungry this school year. If you happen to know a school-age student in a low-income area who’s in danger of missing meals (breakfast and lunch) after school, do him or her a favor and text “FOODNC” to 877877*. You’ll receive a message listing a nearby location where young people can get free meals. This is a federal program that’s been in place for years—be sure to pass the word so kids don’t go hungry needlessly. You can also call 866-3HUNGRY (866-348-6479). Parents are invited to purchase a meal for $2; Durham Housing Authority parents can eat for free. * Spanish-speakers can text “COMIDA” to the same number and get help in Spanish. |
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