A Community Deficit Fighter
Cleveland Public Library continues to serve the community in many ways beyond materials, programs and training. It also provides valuable locations for necessary community outreach efforts. In 2011, for example, the Library worked with Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) to help more than 7,000 local residents apply for Section 8 housing vouchers. The effort required specialized training of the staff and procurement of additional computers to facilitate the process.
For the third year, Cleveland Public Library again partnered with the City of Cleveland’s Department of Recreation and Children’s Hunger Alliance to serve nearly 20,000 free lunches to local kids who participated in summer reading programs.
We are also proud of our staff members for launching the “Warm-Up Cleveland” initiative. This program, which is now in its second year, is designed to provide warm clothing to the area’s poor and homeless population through the creation and donation of various knitted clothing items. In 2010, our staff donated more than 250 knitted items to area shelters. In 2011, with the support of patrons and others in the community who joined our efforts, we were able to donate more than 500 items.
