Hi! I’m Molly, your friendly Highland Square neighbor! I have been hearing buzz on social media about the possibility of food benefits being cut next month for millions of people.

Even with food benefits, many families are still struggling, and some of those families might be your neighbors. Some of them are mine, and while I can’t change everything for everyone, I may be able to change something for someone.

So I reached out to my group of friends and I asked if they would be willing to help me sponsor Thanksgiving dinner for 2-3 Akron families. They happily agreed.

When I shared a post on NextDoor about helping local families, the response was overwhelming. Families reached out right away and shared their worries about how they would afford a holiday meal. At the same time, friends and neighbors came forward asking “How can I help?”

I thought maybe, with your help, we could make Thanksgiving a little brighter for more than three families.

We believe around $200 could provide dinner for each family, so anything after the initial $600 raised would allow me to reach out to another family and offer assistance. I have had at least 10 families reach out to me, and I would love to be able to provide dinner or other assistance to them as well.

If you would prefer to not donate funds, there are three ways you can help:

1. There’s a list of household items that families have specifically requested - you can order the items and get them shipped to me , or if you purchase these items on your own we can find a place and time to meet and I’ll distribute them to the families.

2. We are also collecting new or gently used clothing that these families could greatly benefit from - there’s a link below covering what the families have requested.

3, Share the link to this go fund me (:

Household items and clothing spreadsheet

Amazon wish list for items (you can also purchase elsewhere and contact me about retrieving them)