Good Vibes
Positivity
If you drive through downtown Wadsworth, look out for uplifting messages in store and restaurant windows reading, “We grow together” and “Hope & kindness can not be shut down.” In April, Main Street Wadsworth challenged the community to start the #WadsworthPosterProject to spread feel-good messages.
The LeBron James Family Foundation is hosting a celebration for the high school graduating class of 2020. The televised event is meant to honor students whose final year of high school was cut short by COVID-19. Keep an eye out for King James himself and his I Promise School in Akron. The special airs on NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox on Saturday, May 16.
You can now send a thank you card to a health care worker with the help of Up Front Art Space. The Cuyahoga Falls shop has cards with Marcella Chapman’s paintings on the front — meaning the cause is supporting local artists, too. You can write a personalized note inside or a general one can be added.
Although you may have your own opinions about working from home, you may not always know what your pet is thinking about it. While continuing online-learning, Western Reserve Academy students and faculty shared a video from the perspective of their pets. Give it a watch to discover a pet-friendly take on social-distancing.
If you’re looking for a way to destress and tap into creativity, you might want to consider chalk. This Chalk Walk Facebook group created by an Alliance woman is filled with over 2,000 members who want to brighten someone’s day by leaving heart-warming messages, drawings of beloved cartoon characters or birthday wishes to friends and family.
Restaurants and Entertainment
Butcher & Sprout has partnered with Formerly Homeless Foundation to provide meals to those facing unemployment. Meals are available every Sunday between noon and 2 p.m. If you would like to show support, donations can be made at formerlyhomeless.org. For every $100 donated, customers also receive a $10 Butcher & Sprout gift card along with a bottle of hand sanitizer.
HiHo Brewing Co. is helping customers to show gratitude to health care workers with food. Through its Health Care Heroes Meal Program, you can purchase a meal for a health care worker, which HiHo matches and delivers to Western Reserve Hospital and Cuyahoga Falls EMS and fire departments. They have delivered more than 450 meals.
Akron RubberDucks are giving back to generous fans through their QuAkron Cares program. For every $10 you spend, you receive two undated 2020 ticket vouchers, and $5 is donated to the Akron-Summit County COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund.
Hand Sanitizer
Gervasi Vineyard switched its distillery production up to produce 80 percent alcohol hand sanitizer. Receive a 32-ounce bottle sanitizer with carryout orders from Crush House, Villa Grande or Twisted Olive, or add it to any other food, wine or spirits purchase of $30 or more.
The new BKO Distillery has been making 75 percent alcohol solution that follows CDC guidelines and is strong enough to kill the coronavirus. You can use it for cleaning surfaces that are touched frequently in your home. It is giving free bottles out from its Medina location and has already donated more than 8,900 bottles.
Gojo Industries is teaming up with Lubrizol to send hand sanitizer to hospitals in Cuyahoga, Summit and Wayne counties. Their donations provide each patient room with a 1-liter bottle of hand sanitizer throughout the rest of May.
Personal Protective and Medical Equipment
Stow-based Laird Plastics is getting companies together to make plastic shields for hospital workers to wear over their face masks. That includes TKM Print Solutions in Coventry, which normally purchases plastic from Laird to make displays for customers, but they are now using the plastic to make face shields. TKM is also making large plastic signs that provide basic coronavirus info and donating them to local businesses and organizations.
Joann Fabrics, which is headquartered in Hudson, has resources on how to make masks and hospital gowns for health care workers. After you’ve made a gown or mask, give them to Joann’s to be sanitized and donated. Over 100 million have been made nationwide.
Akron Makerspace is creating hospital-approved shields. They are able to make up to a couple hundred shields a day and are looking into making parts for other medical devices.
Little Tikes, which is headquartered in Hudson, has switched from producing toys to making medical supplies like ventilator valves and goggles.
The Akron Vulcan’s season was cut short, but head coach Otto Orf is still giving back to the community. The HandsOnSports Foundation, which Orf founded, is partnering with the Charitable Health Organization to donate supplies such as gloves, gowns and surgical masks to health clinics.
The Akron Zoo donated 1,400 N95 masks from its emergency stockpile and registered two ventilators to the Summit County Emergency Management Agency. Staff and volunteers have also been sewing masks and will be donating them to Summit County Health Department and other community partners. Some of the masks will go toward zoo staff and their emergency stockpile.