LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Thanksgiving is just two weeks away, and in Lakewood that signals the annual effort by the Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corp. to ensure that those in need have a hearty meal for the holiday.

About 300 people receive food packages for Thanksgiving from LCAC, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of Lakewoods families in need. The organization has offered this program for more than three decades.

Collections of non-perishable food items -- including canned goods, gravy mix, pie filling, stuffing and biscuit mixes, cereal, peanut butter and more -- are taking place in schools and churches throughout the city to help provide a foundation for the holiday meal and to help families even beyond Thanksgiving.

Cash donations also are welcome to help with costs associated with the LCAC programs.

LCAC purchases perishable items, including turkeys, potatoes, butter and pumpkin pies, just before the food distribution day, which this year will be Nov. 23.

Volunteers are needed to help sort, prepare and bag the non-perishable items, as well as to help load the food into vehicles for delivery.

Non-perishable food donations will be collected and sorted from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 22 on the lower level of the Lakewood Masonic Temple, 15300 Detroit Ave., Lakewood.

Additional volunteers are needed from about 6 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22 to form an assembly line to pack the food bags.

Then, beginning at 9 a.m. Nov. 23, volunteers are needed to bag the perishable food items, load the meals into cars and help deliver the food to those on the distribution list for Thanksgiving.

Celia Dorsch, LCAC president, said the entire organization consists of volunteers. They also deliver meals for Christmas and provide cleaning supplies in the spring.

For more information on LCAC and its programs, visit lcac.info.

Junior Womens Club meets: North Olmsted Junior Womens Club will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 14) at North Olmsted Senior Center, 28114 Lorain Road, North Olmsted.

There will be a program on pain management following the meeting. The program begins with a social time from 7 to 7:30 p.m.

The club is a diverse group of women of all ages -- 21 and older -- who want to return something to the community.

For more information, visit northolmsted.wixsite.com/nojwc.

Pride Clinic: The MetroHealth System began offering Pride Clinic services this week at the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, 6705 Detroit Ave., Cleveland. MetroHealth and the LGBT Center are working together to provide safe and supportive medical care to the Cleveland LGBTQ community in the Gordon Square neighborhood. Community members can receive many health services at the clinic.

MetroHealth primary care physician Dr. Douglas Van Auken will provide care from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays.

Services include primary adult care (age 13 and older), hormone therapy, family planning, smoking cessation, cholesterol control, blood pressure control, immunizations, HIV prevention and STI testing and treatment.

In addition to primary care services being offered at the LGBT Center, MetroHealths Pride Network also offers primary care services at MetroHealths Brecksville, Cleveland Heights, Middleburg Heights, Rocky River and Thomas F. McCafferty locations.

Specialty services also include plastic surgery, gynecology, ENT, behavioral health, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

To schedule an appointment at the LGBT Center or any of the Pride Network locations, call 216-957-4905. To learn more about MetroHealths Pride Network, visit metrohealth.org/pride.

Free produce: Cleveland residents are invited to stop by Cudell Recreation Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the third Thursday of every month (Nov. 21 this month) for free, fresh produce. Cudell is at 1910 West Blvd., Cleveland.

Produce is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, rain or shine. Those coming for produce should bring an ID and bags to carry the items home.

On display: The North Olmsted Arts Commission displays artwork from local artists on a temporary basis at City Hall. The featured artist for November is Dennis Nelson, a North Olmsted resident.

Nelsons work includes poured acrylic, also called fluid art. He uses vibrant colors and bold patterns in his work.

Stop in during business hours at North Olmsted City Hall, 5200 Dover Center Road, North Olmsted, to see Nelsons exhibit.

The rotating displays at City Hall provide an opportunity for art groups to introduce or expand the visibility of their work. For more information or for North Olmsted artists interested in applying for exhibit space, call 440-716-4134.

Welcoming a legacy: Fairview Park Mayor Eileen Patton swore in new police officer Erik Joyce recently. He is the son of James Joyce, a retired Fairview Park police officer who served the city for 34 years, from 1984 to 2014.

The proud papa pinned his old badge onto his sons shirt after he took the oath of office.

Erik Joyce started his law enforcement career in Fairview Park when he joined the auxiliary police unit at age 19. A few years later, he served briefly with the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority as a police officer. After that, he spent six years with the Cuyahoga County Sheriffs Office as a deputy sheriff.

Friendsgiving luncheon: Area residents ages 55 and older are invited to a free Friendsgiving luncheon on Nov. 20, provided by ONeill Healthcare North Olmsted. Attendees need not live in North Olmsted.

Lunch includes turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, a roll and pumpkin pie. Registration is required by Nov. 15.

For more information or to register, call 440-777-8100 or stop by the North Olmsted Senior Center, 28114 Lorain Road, North Olmsted.

We Do Care awards: Fairview Park Womens Club will host the We Do Care God & Country letter-writing contest winners at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18, prior to the Fairview Park City Council meeting in council chambers at City Hall, 20777 Lorain Road, Fairview Park.

A small reception will follow the ceremony.

The We Do Care Committee was created in 1976 by Fairview Park resident Harriet Beekman in response to diminishing patriotism during the Vietnam War era. Beekman generated community support for local military personnel and sent care packages to them. The group continues to send boxes to troops.

Seventh- and eighth-graders at Lewis F. Mayer Middle, St. Angela Merici and Messiah Lutheran schools are invited to participate in the God & Country letter-writing contest each year to express gratitude for the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces serving overseas.

The letter-writing project began in 1976, also.

Student letters are submitted to the We Do Care Committee and judged by volunteers. Winners are selected from each school and read aloud at a City Council meeting. The winning students receive a certificate.

Information, please: Readers are invited to share information about themselves, their families and friends, organizations, church events, etc. in Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted and West Park for the A Place in the Sun column, which I write on a freelance basis. Awards, honors, milestone birthdays or anniversaries and other items are welcome. Submit information at least 10 days before the requested publication date to carolkovach@hotmail.com.

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Many hands needed to help LCAC prepare, deliver 300 Thanksgiving meals to the needy: A Place in the Sun - cleveland.com

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