Conveniently located in Hilliard just off Fishinger, the Arthritis Foundation is an excellent…read moreresource in the community. Currently they are planning the Crystal Ball gala fundraiser. Other community interactions include a Wine and Dine, the Jingle Bell Run and a walk at the Zoo in April. Good people that truly support folks.

My first experience with Columbus Gives Back was working with the group as a nonprofit partner. I…read morewas in need of volunteers for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, a 5K walk. The leadership was great at communicating throughout the recruitment process. At the event, all staff members who worked with the volunteers loved doing so and the volunteers had great feed back too. I've also had the pleasure of volunteering myself. I love that the group offers a variety of organizations to become involved with. The flexibility has provided me a volunteer experience that works with my schedule. The other volunteers have always been wonderful and I know I'll continue to volunteer and recommend to friends. Thanks to Columbus Gives Back!

I can't even begin to describe how much volunteering with Columbus Gives Back has changed my…read moreinvolvement in Central Ohio. I have made legitimate friendships and had meaningful volunteering experiences. Sometimes, you just need to do something for someone else and CGB is an easy way to connect to volunteering events in the Columbus area. My favorite events locations include Meals on Wheels with LifeCare Alliance and the YWCA Family Center. Not only has CGB helped me help out the community, but I've had a chance to try some amazing restaurants with the volunteers after the events. I would highly recommend volunteering with this group if you're looking to meet people and do something good in the Columbus area.

I absolutely love this food pantry. You can visit twice a month and you can receive produce, meat,…read moretoiletries, fruit, vegetables, pasta, potatoes, cereal and more! The staff are very friendly and helpful and they are always are willing to help with a smile. I really like the hours. The hours are convenient, and keep in mind the working family. For example, they have early Saturday hours, and two days during the week with one day in the morning and one day in the evening. Therefore, if you work a traditional 9 to 5 you can come after work. The lines are long though! Before COVID-19, we were able to go inside and shop. However, the Hilliard food pantry takes the pandemic very seriously and they converted to a drive-through method. You drive up, give them your information, and they load up your trunk. They do this very quickly but you will be in the line for a bit. There are some days that I come and things are very in and out, about 10 minutes. And there are other days where I'm there for almost an hour in the line. I can tell you that it's worth it. For struggling families, they do so much. Sometimes they have clothes, and shoes as well that have been donated. They even offer assistance during Thanksgiving and Christmas which includes food as well as toys. And the toys are good, they give bicycles almost every year. They also offer utility assistance once a year. The people here are just amazing. I said that already but I think I should say it again. Full disclosure here, I have pretty intense back and hip problems. One time I pulled up onto the line at the pantry, and my hip totally locked up on me. I was already in park but I couldn't lift my foot to the gas pedal. So, I was essentially holding up the line... unable to get out of the way or move forward. I called the pantry and told them the situation. Two women came out to help me! I am appreciative of what the Hilliard food pantry does for my family. Thank you!

So far I've only had the chance to do one of the volunteer opportunities GenNext had, but I had a…read morelot of fun! We weeded, mowed, watered, and downright gave our love to some public food gardens in Franklinton. After we finished up with that, we painted a long - and I'm talking looooooong - fence. It was a nice two-hour commitment for a weekday night. I have volunteered at Habitat for Humanity and other organizations that are very well-known, but I always felt slightly out of place since I've been about half the age of many of the volunteers there. GenNext is pretty much perfect for me since the volunteers were generally in the 20-30 range. I posted the official website, but I think their facebook page is a better place to check out (careful, you better put on your gardening gloves first... it's ridiculously long): http://www.facebook.com/pages/GenNext/97472583712?sid=1e1b25c31b84f4785b31eebc6ef2347b&ref=search

I have had the privilege of adopting two pets from Pet Promise! Both were dogs. They are a…read morewonderful organization, all the volunteers I worked with during my adoption processes were so friendly and of course animal lovers! The adoption fee may seem somewhat pricey, but it covers shots/immunizations/spay or neuter and even microchipping. The fact that all their animals are in foster homes may discourage potential customers, but the foster parents bring the animal to you before the adoption is finalized, that way you get a chance to interact with them, the animal gets a chance to meet you and your family, plus other pets that might be in the household. Please if you are considering becoming pet parents, check PetPromise out during your search, you will not be disappointed!

Ah, the Short North Garage Sale! It actually covers most of the south-of-campus-north-of-downtown…read morearea, including the Victorian Village, Harrison West, Dennison Place, Circles, Italian Village, and Short North neighborhoods. Parking becomes scarce pretty quickly, so if you live in the neighborhood and park on the street, plan on not leaving/not finding parking when you come back. Your finds will vary, of course, but my favourite part is just wandering through people's yards (people who are selling things, that is) and checking out all of the random stuff and petting all the puppies!

Local Matters has recently moved. Their new humble abode is right down from The Crest and Alchemy…read moreJuice Bar, on the ground floor of The Fitness Loft's building. Great spot, too. Lots of (free!) parking in the attached lot. Easy in-and-out access to Livingston And Parsons Avenues. Internal space is pretty awesome. They have two main rooms, not counting their administrative/desk space. The larger room they use for conferences, meetings, gatherings, events, etc. The smaller room has a small kitchen nook and island - perfect for anything food related. Today, they were doing a salsa demo, so that was a big hit with kids. I try to keep a lookout for events LM puts on. They do a lot to educate the community about food, housing, wellness. They also do a great job highlighting local businesses. They were hosting their 4th annual Seed Swap, thus my visit. Perfect space for sharing seeds and knowledge!

It was pouring rain when a family member told me there was a baby duck in the garage. At first I…read morethought, "Oh, a duckling," and went out expecting something small and harmless. It was hiding beneath the car -- frightened, alert, and surprisingly difficult to catch. Every time I tried to reach for it, it scrambled away awkwardly, and when we finally cornered it, I noticed its tail was injured. It looked serious. So I did what most people would probably do when they see an injured animal: I tried to help it. For me, it stopped being "a duck" in the abstract. It became this specific little creature I was trying to save. I searched for someone who could help, and that led me to the Ohio Wildlife Center. Their website says, "Wildlife Help Starts Here." But for me, it felt like wildlife help ended there. I understand that wildlife rehabilitation is complicated. They cannot save every animal. There are limits involving resources, suffering, survival odds, and quality of life. Rationally, I know that. But emotionally, I could not stop thinking: I never wanted to be the person delivering this tiny creature to its death. Maybe I should have asked a different question before bringing it in: "What percentage of animals brought here are killed?" But it would not have mattered anyway. When I called, I got an automated response and brought the duck in regardless, hoping for the best. My mistake. Maybe I am applying human standards to an animal. Maybe I am projecting my own instinct to survive onto it. But I cannot help feeling that existence itself matters. If it were me, I would rather have another day alive -- even injured, even imperfect -- than have someone else decide my life was no longer worth continuing because recovery would be difficult, inconvenient, or incomplete. That is the part that stays with me. Not death itself, because death comes for everything eventually, but the feeling that I unknowingly became part of ushering it there. If I had left the duck alone, maybe it would have lived longer. Maybe it would not have survived at all. I do not know. But I walked in believing I was helping save it, and instead I was confronted with the fact that they were going to kill it. What made it harder was how sudden it felt. The moment I walked inside, they took the duck immediately. No pause. No goodbye. Just gone. To them, perhaps it was routine. To me, it was still this frightened little thing I had crouched in the rain trying to protect. Maybe "murder" is the wrong word. Maybe "kill" is more accurate. Either way, the result is the same: death. Nonexistence. The extinguishing of something that, only moments before, was alive and fighting to keep moving. I care about animals. So when you try to do what you believe is the right thing, only to realize the outcome no longer belongs to you, it leaves a mark. And then, on top of all of that, they wanted my personal information. I remember looking at them like they were delusional, "Are you serious?" You are telling me this duck is going to die, yet you still need my details? For what? Do they keep records of where animals came from they've killed? Stats? Maybe. But in that moment, it felt absurd. In an era where everything is collected, tracked, harvested, monetized, and stored, I could not help reacting with suspicion and disbelief. At this exact moment I felt emotionally blindsided and disgusted. This is one of those questions that comes up everywhere -- from medicine to animal care to end-of-life decisions. Wildlife rehabilitators usually focus on survival and minimizing suffering. But the animal wasn't necessarily at risk of dying from the injury itself. I tend to see it more simply -- that existence still matters, even when things are imperfect. That's where we differ.

The OH Wildlife Center is a non profit that operates the state's largest wildlife hospital. They…read morealso house and rehabilitate native wildlife species. Throughout the year, they offer various educational and special events that are open to the public. I was so excited to take a fundraising yoga class here. Kelly was our yoga instructor and she is also an OWC volunteer. She gave us some great tips for protecting wildlife at home and took us on a short tour after class. We got to meet several of the residents including Waldo the turtle, beautiful red foxes, feisty raccoons, owls and a shy little coyote pup. They provide signage with more information about the animals, and many of them had been injured, abandoned, or kept as pets and released illegally. It was wonderful to see them peaceful and well cared for. They mentioned that they are always looking for more volunteers. Check out their website for more information or to donate.