This project is a deep cleaning, so no area gets left behind. The vanity needs to be washed, as does all the hardware. You'll be surprised at what's dripped onto the vanity when you get on the floor to see it closely. You also may question your family, wondering, does anyone get toothpaste in the sink?

Most vanities are wood, so let's talk about how to clean wood cabinets. For unpainted cabinets,Murphy Oil Soapsuggests gathering one bucket of clear, warm water, one bucket with your wood cleaner mixed with water, an old toothbrush, and a couple of soft rags. Using the cleaning solution and a rag, wash your cabinets. Use the toothbrush to get in tight corners and crevices. Use another rag dipped in the clear water to rinse. Dry the cabinets thoroughly.

Use warm water and dish soap for normal build-up if you have painted cabinets. If they are beyond normal, use a mixture of one cup vinegar, two cups warm water, and one tablespoon baking soda. You can also add a drop of dish soap (viaFive Star Painting). Wipe down hardware with a wet rag, or you can remove it and wash it in the sink.

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How To Deep Clean Your Bathroom And Keep It Clean - House Digest

Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday increased Connecticuts drought response for New London and Windham counties as potential threats endanger water supplies, agriculture and ecosystems.

The two jurisdictions were designated as Stage 3, identifying a moderate drought based on an assessment of precipitation, surface water, groundwater, reservoirs, soil moisture, vegetation and fire danger conditions.

[Hartford area rainfall is below normal; Connecticut drought warning urges reduction in water use, targeting garden sprinklers]

Residents and businesses are asked to reduce, to the extent possible, water use. The last Stage 3 designation in Connecticut was in October 2020.

All other counties in Connecticut will remain in Stage 2 that Lamont declared on July 14. At that level, notice is given of an emerging drought intended to boost awareness. Level 4 indicates a severe drought and stage 5 is an extreme drought.

The governor blamed conditions on climate change.

Connecticut continues to experience the impacts of climate change with this exceptionally dry summer, and while the entire state is experiencing drought conditions, we are seeing the most severe of those conditions right now in the areas of New London and Windham counties, he said.

Jim Smith, a co-owner of Cushman Farms in Franklin, a family-owned dairy farm with 1,800 cows, said in early August he was hauling 27,000 gallons of water a day to make up for the rain deficit.

Its an added expense, he said. Its frustrating. The northeast corner has done very well with rain. The southeast corner and central (Connecticut) . . . weve missed a lot of the storms.

In contrast, last year was wet, with deluges of rain at the rate of 4 inches an hour, causing erosion, Smith said.

The U.S. Drought Monitor for Connecticut says the eastern part of the state is in extreme drought. Under those conditions, crop loss is widespread, Christmas tree farms are stressed, dairy farmers are struggling financially and business increases for well drillers and bulk water haulers, the Drought Monitor said.

The remainder of eastern Connecticut and northern areas are in severe drought and Fairfield County and parts of the shoreline are experiencing moderate drought.

The National Weather Service is forecasting a chance of showers Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but no soaking rain is expected.

Meteorologist Kevin Cadima of the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts, said dry conditions are likely to continue into mid-September.

Weve got to rely on thunderstorms. It can be hit or miss, he said.

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We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning.

The extreme drought is affecting Rhode Island, much of eastern Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut near Rhode Island, he said.

He blamed a lot of high pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere with thunderstorms mostly north and west of Connecticut.

Residents and businesses are asked to reduce watering lawns, recreational and athletic fields, gardens or other landscaped areas.

Residents and businesses are asked to postpone planting new lawns or vegetation, to fix leaky plumbing, to take shorter showers and run dishwashers and washing machines with full loads, shut off water while washing dishes and avoid washing vehicles or power-washing homes and other buildings.

Water should not be used to to clean sidewalks, driveways and roads, and public water should not fill residential swimming pools.

Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.

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As dry weather persists, Connecticut increases drought response for New London and Windham counties - Hartford Courant

As recently reported by KATC news in Lafayette, Louisiana, the top of the hometown sports arena and convention centerappropriately named the Cajundomewas getting covered in dirty grime, and something had to be done about it.

How do you clean a dome thats 165-feet high? In the last century, that would have required several human workers and a good deal of risk.

As Pam DeVille, director of the Cajundome, told KATC, You had men that were tethered to the top of the roof going down and actually scrubbing it. There arent many people who would consider that a long-term job.

But now, in the 21st Century, its achieved with drones.

In the case of the Cajundome, Jordy Marks, owner of L.A. Drone Services, came up with the idea of using two drones and an environmentally safe cleaner to low-pressure wash the facilitys dome over a two-day period.

However, using drones to clean hard-to-reach places isnt really that novel of an idea. Cleaning drones have been used for several years on all sorts of applications up in the air.

In 2013, Digitaltrends reported on an Electrolux gizmo that would release into the air hundreds of tiny drones to clean a rooms interior. In 2015, WC3D GmbH, a drone-cleaning company in Germany, developed its prototype drone for cleaning skyscraper windows. Scorpion Drones, a Miami-based distributor of agricultural drones, has been marketing the Lavado dronedesigned to soft wash rooftopssince 2018.

Back in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we here at CMM reported on the use of drones by Lucid Drone Technologies Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina, to disinfect Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Atlanta Falcons NFL games. CNN reported in 2021 on the use of drones to clean up plastic waste worldwide via United Kingdom-based startup Ellipsis Earth. And this year, tech website Mashable highlighted HELIOS, a drone specifically designed to clean solar panels.

According to Lucid Drone Technologies, because high-power washing isnt efficient for the flying operations of drones as well as being potentially harmful to exterior surfaces, they instead use biodegradable chemicals and a softer rinse to do their cleaning. The result is equally as effective and much safernot only for the facilitys surfaces and the environment, but also in terms of manpower. In a similar vein, as drone use drops the risk to workers, it helps keep facility insurance premiums lower as well.

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Participate in the Cleanfax Monkeypox Poll - CMM

The public has been urged to conserve water ahead of the predicted heatwave to avoid the need for restrictions during the summer.

Irish Water has said supplies are operating normally and there are no plans to introduce restrictions at this time, but it expects to see an increase in demand for water over the coming weeks which "may put pressure on some supplies."

A high-temperature warning has been issued for Ireland beginning on Sunday, with people being advised to take precautions against getting sunburn or heatstroke.

The Status Yellow alert for "exceptionally warm weather" is set to be in effect from 6am on Sunday until 9pm on Tuesday, with temperatures of up to 32C or 33C possible in places on Monday and Tuesday.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday will see exceptionally warm weather occurring over the country, another reminder about climate change, with June this year being Europes second warmest month ever on record.

In particular, rural areas have begun to come under pressure for water supplies, particularly in the south and midlands.

Measures are already being taken to protect supplies in parts of Cork, Tipperary, Clare and Galway.

With a status yellow high-temperature warning in place for Ireland, people are being urged to heed the advice of experts.

Tom Cuddy, Irish Water's Head of Asset Operations, said: "We will continue to monitor the levels at all our supplies over the coming weeks and months and take any actions that may be necessary to maintain supplies, including communicating about localised issues as they arise.

It is important that we all consider our water usage and look at simple yet impactful ways to conserve water.

"By reducing the water used in paddling pools, turning off the hose and avoiding power washing we can all help ensure there is enough water to for everyone as we go through the summer."

Contingency plan to protect homeless

Dublin City Council has put contingency plans in place to protect the homeless from extreme temperatures in the coming days.

A council spokesperson said: Dublin City Council, as the lead statutory authority in the Dublin Region, is co-ordinating the response to ensure homeless persons at risk are sheltered for the duration of any extreme weather event.

In response to the hot weather warning expected over the coming days, arrangements are in place with service providers to ensure that temporary shelter will continue to be available to all who wish to access it.

The DRHE-funded Dublin Street Outreach Service and Housing First Intake Team (provided by Dublin Simon & Peter McVerry Trust) will be engaging with those at risk of rough sleeping in order to provide shelter for anyone who needs it. The outreach teams will ensure the distribution of water and sunscreen, the provision of shelter as required, and the encouragement of people to be sun aware.

They will also use social media to ask the public to report people sleeping rough during the hot weather.

The council encouraged anyone requiring emergency accommodation to contact their local authority or the freephone number for its homeless services 1800 707 707.

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Public urged to conserve water amid 'exceptionally warm weather' - Irish Examiner

Whether somebody have a small or large home, power washing services for the exterior are essential to maintain a clean and aesthetically pleasing outlook. It will ensure any household has the best aesthetic value to all who enter it as well as increase its overall longevity. Power Washing is the leading solution for most hard to clean surfaces around any home. Have professional technicians dress up the residence with there premium power washing services like at House of Wash in Pennsylvania.

There are different levels of pressure washing techniques that one must be aware of before hiring an exterior cleaner. Some methods are better than others depending on the type of material used to construct the property. House of Wash follows the highest industry standards and use proven methods to give 100 percent satisfactory results. That is why House Wash Pa near Downingtown, PA offers affordable and professional services that will make any home look new again.

When people are looking to hire someone to power wash their home, its important to find a professional company. If one hire inexperienced people, they could risk permanent damage to their property. House Wash PA is proud to be an owner-operator. This ensures the proper execution of power washing services. They use only eco-friendly products that are beneficial both for environment and family, so have fun watching them rinse off the rest of the dirt from the property! Weve already washed many houses by now, but feel free to look at the client reviews! House of Washes key goal is to provide with the best service possible.

They appreciate the interest in there services and hope that this information is helpful to everybody as it will provide a general idea of exactly what they do there at the Power Washing Team. Please take a look around and if there are any questions or perhaps there is any additional information please contact them at [emailprotected] One can find their website at https://www.housewashpa.com/power-washing-in-Downingtown-PA

House of Wash provides washing services for Downingtown-PA and the surrounding areas, therefore all of there technicians are very experienced and can make a house a home in no time. They follow a pre-planned order that was designed to meet the specific needs. They first clean the roof, then the outside walls and finally any concrete driveway or pathway. All surfaces will be cleaned by professionals. Everyone working with a professional can be sure that pros only use approved and reliable equipment and cleaning products. All of it is tested by the EPA to ensure that it is not toxic to anyone. Also professionals at House of Wash in PA will also follow safety protocols and recommendations before starting any exterior house / home cleaning. If one need more information on power washing services in Downingtown-PA, please feel free to reach out to the #1 Voted Top Pressure Washing Company in Pennsylvania.

Media ContactCompany Name: House Wash PAEmail: Send EmailPhone: 484-881-2713Address:85 Brittany Lane City: GlenmooreState: PA 19343Country: United StatesWebsite: https://www.housewashpa.com/

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House Of Wash Voted Top Power Washing in Downingtown-PA - Digital Journal

As the COVID-19 pandemic brought sweeping changes to lifestyles, it also altered an important but seldom thought-of aspect of human existence trash.The pandemic has drastically changed the types and amounts of waste that are being generated in the last two years and will likely continue to do so for the next few years.

For instance, a report in The Science of the Total Environment in November 2021 points out that the waste produced during the mass vaccination drives to curb COVID-19 transmission could have huge environmental effects. India, which initiated one of the worlds largest vaccination drives in January 2021 with 3,000 vaccination centers across the country has generated massive amounts of biowaste from discarded vials. In addition, every step of the vaccination process starting with the bulk production and usage of surgical masks, gloves, syringes, and disinfectants, to the production and storage of vaccines are contributing to global greenhouse gas emissions. Improper disposal of the waste such as masks is also creating toxic plastic wastes.

In India, as elsewhere globally, COVID-19 created surges in the demand and use of single-use plastic products most notably, in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, and food and delivery businesses. As a result, the waste produced from these industries has skyrocketed. While the amounts of plastic waste generated by altered consumer patterns during the pandemic are as yet unknown, Indias reported biomedical waste generation increased by 17% over a year (20202021).

Globally, it is estimated that 4.4 to 15.1 million tons of pandemic-related plastic waste was generated as of August 2021, of which roughly 25,000 tons have entered the worlds oceans. A vast majority of this roughly 87% was found to come from hospitals in the form of plastic sheets, gloves, bottles, and syringes. While discarded face masks are the most noticeable, they, along with personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and packaging material account for only 12-13% of the pandemic-related plastic wastes currently polluting the worlds oceans.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India produced 47,200 tons of COVID-19-related biomedical waste between August 2020 and June 2021; these include PPE kits, face masks, gloves, needles, and other medical items contaminated with blood/body fluids. This is over and above the average 600 tons/day of biomedical waste that was being produced in pre-COVID times.

However, Indias waste management sector was and still is not fully prepared for this surge in biomedical waste. In September 2020, Mumbais already beleaguered waste management system was left reeling under a three-fold increase in COVID-related waste generation.

While the situation in Indian cities is not as dire as Wuhans which produced 250 tons of biomedical waste/day during its pandemic peak between February and March 2020 there are rising concerns about missing biomedical waste and underreporting of generated waste.

Despite CPCBs assurance that Indias 198 biomedical waste treatment facilities (incinerators) could handle about 800 tons per day of biomedical waste, a lot of the improperly disposed waste is being spotted in landfills and as litter along roads, beaches, and open dumps near hospitals and crematoriums. In addition to this, PPE kits, masks, face shields, and gloves are often seen in household waste, not only in India, but in several other countries.

According to a report published in October 2021 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the pandemic drove global PPE kit production up by 300%, while the production of medical masks went up by 1,200%. Pre-pandemic India produced no PPE kits; but between March and May 2020, it grew a PPE-production industry capable of producing nearly 450,000 thousand PPE kits/day. A lot of these masks and PPEs are ending up in Indias water bodies. Huge numbers of discarded plastic masks and gloves have been washing up on beaches and are being dredged up from ocean beds. In Assam, alarms over COVID-19 spread were raised when used PPE kits, blood pouches, and other hospital waste that had been openly dumped were seen floating on floodwaters. The CounterMEASURE project an initiative by UNEP and the Government of Japan to tackle riverine and marine plastic litter found that face masks were the most common biomedical waste littered along the Ganges and Mekong rivers in 2021.

For the first time in its 35 years of running the International Coastal Cleanup campaign, the Ocean Conservancy has had to add PPE (including face masks, gloves, and wipes) as a category in its list of beach litter. By late 2020, 94% of all volunteers had found PPE at cleanups in 70 out of 115 participating countries, and more than 62000 PPE items were found in the 1.5 million pounds (0.6 million kgs) of trash collected in beaches worldwide.

Read more: Pollution watchdog releases guidelines to handle COVID-19 waste

But the dramatic appearance of discarded PPE in beach litter is only a part of the huge change in plastic trash flowing into the oceans since the pandemic began. The 2020 coastal cleanups also found unprecedented amounts of single-use food packaging items in the form of plastic cups, plates, grocery bags, and takeaway containers. Plastic food containers and cutlery were also the most-reported trash found in rivers and along shorelines. Takeaway containers were among the three most common types of plastic litter seen in the macro-plastic surveys conducted in 2021 along the Mekong and Ganges.

The rise in plastic food containers in oceans and rivers mirrors the rise in these plastics in municipal wastes. Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the UK are only a few countries that have reported rising levels of plastic waste (between 20-200%) coming from increased use of food and grocery delivery services during and after the pandemic lockdowns.

Convenience powered single-use plastic consumption even before the pandemic; but concerns over safety and hygiene, especially due to COVID-19 have driven up their use. Shifts in the perception of food safety have also pushed consumers to prefer more packaged products. This was and even now, continues to be the norm in food servicing and delivery sectors.

In India, e-tailers and e-grocery services such as Amazon, Flipkart, BigBasket, and Grofers (now renamed Blinkit) have reported a two-to-threefold increase in order volumes, and overall e-commerce in 20202021 grew by 25%. Local governments in India busy fighting the pandemic had no resources left to enforce bans on single-use plastics such as disposable cups, cutlery, and plastic bags whose usage boomed in the wake of the first lockdown.

Policy rollbacks on the use of plastics have also contributed to this problem. In several countries, including UK, USA, South Korea, and Australia, bans on the use of disposable paper/plastic bags have been lifted or postponed. In India, the Indian governments pledge to eliminate single-use plastic packaging by 2022 has hit a roadblock. This comes from the All-India Plastic Manufacturers Association (AIPMA) requesting that the deadline be pushed to 2023 to allow the industry to recover from the economic distress of the pandemic.

Its not just waste generation that changed during and after the pandemic. Waste management has also been affected by lockdowns, mainly because there was a disconnect between collecting the waste and processing it, says Mushtaq Memon, Regional Coordinator for Resource Efficiency (UNEP, Asia Pacific Regional Office) and Project Manager for SWITCH-Asia Regional Policy Advocacy Component.

Indias recycling sector, which is largely informal, was severely impacted by the pandemic and the lockdowns in a series of cascading events.

During lockdowns, waste collection was considered an essential service, but downstream processes like recycling, were not, says Rohini Malur, Communications Manager at Hasiru Dala, a Karnataka-based NGO that works to ensure livelihoods with dignity for waste pickers.

Malur explains that the lockdowns were disastrous for the waste picker community and small recycling businesses because they were barred from doing the work that sustained them. Dry waste collection centers in Bengaluru were receiving waste and segregating it, but couldnt sell to recyclers and cement kilns (that co-process non-recyclable dry waste), which resulted in two issues. One was a space crunch as waste was coming in but not going out, and the other was a loss of steady revenue.

As part of our pandemic-relief work, Hasiru Dala had to arrange for aggregation centers where waste could be sent, because most dry waste collection centers dont have much space but were mandated to remain functional. We also had to arrange for daily wage support for garbage collectors as their pay was intermittent and often delayed, adds Malur.

Adding to these woes were the day-to-day dangers of handling contaminated household waste and facing social stigmas for providing an essential service. During the second wave, as COVID-19 cases rose, and hospitals became full, at-home quarantine and treatment for people with milder cases of COVID-19 became prevalent. This caused medical waste to wind up in household waste, a situation which most waste workers are untrained to handle. Unsurprisingly, many waste pickers and garbage collectors and their families contracted COVID-19. These people were already struggling to make daily wage, and now they had medical bills piling up to add to their burdens, says Malur.

As segregation of dry waste ground to a halt, junk shops shut down, and recycling units lay idle, the amount of trash sent to landfills shot up.

The waste management sector, especially recycling, is still struggling to recover from the effects of the pandemic. A report by PEMSEA (Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia) states that in India, less than 10% of plastic recyclers were operating during lockdowns; post-lockdown, although 2070% of these recyclers are functional, they are operating at only 2550% of their full capacity.

India can move forward at an accelerated pace by taking a holistic approach, as a piecemeal approach may not be fruitful. The informal sector must be strengthened, supported, and formalized through policy, funding, and implementation. India could strengthen its waste management road map by incorporating a circular economy approach. For example, the Swachh Bharat Mission focuses on cleanliness with cleanliness drives useful in keeping streets clean; but, a holistic circular economy model to reduce trash proper recycling could work even better, says Memon. Like Japan and South Korea, Indias waste can become a resource. Indian policies could be the flagship in South Asia if they strengthen waste reduction, recycling systems, and adopt a circular economy approach to waste management, he adds.

Recently, the Government of Indias policy think-tank, NITI Aayog (National Institute for Transforming India), published a report titled Waste-wise Cities, in which successful attempts at managing different types of waste have been highlighted. Leh has been lauded for its technology-led use of solar power to process municipal solid waste. Several cities including Thiruvananthapuram have been upheld as models demonstrating the sustainability of decentralized waste management systems. Many cities including Panaji have been highlighted for their achievement of 100% waste segregation at source which lay at the heart of their ability to manage waste and generate income through composting, recycling, and production of refuse-derived fuels.

Banner image: A discarded mask found along the Mumbai coastline. Photo by Prasant Barik, Aahwahan Foundation.

Excerpt from:
COVID-19 and the changing nature of waste - Mongabay-India

As the right to repair movement gathers pace, Koreas LG has decided to make sure that its whitegoods can be upgraded.

The company today announced a scheme called Evolving Appliances For You.

The plan is sketchy: LG has outlined a scenario in which a customer who moves to a locale with climate markedly different to their previous home could use LGs ThingQ app to upgrade their clothes dryer with new software that makes the appliance better suited to prevailing conditions and to the kind of fabrics youd wear in a hotter or colder climes. The drier could also get new hardware to handle its new location. An image distributed by LG shows off the ability to change the tune a dryer plays after it finishes a load.

Another scenario suggests adding a filter to an air purifier, so it performs well if you acquire a pet. To get the best from the special purpose hardware, LG suggests also adding a new software program to the gadget to make the best use of the physical filter.

We want customers to experience the feeling of getting a new washer or refrigerator throughout the entire lifecycle of an LG appliance, not just the first time they bring the item home, said Lyu Jae-cheol, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company.

Ending planned obsolescence is another ambition.

Just how this will all work was not explained, but more info has been promised for followers of LG Appliances Instagram account.

Hopefully Insta users get more than lifestyle shots because there is obvious security risk if evildoers upload something nasty into an appliance. Thats not The Register being paranoid: in 2017 Check Point Software demonstrated LG account takeovers that allowed remote control a robot vacuum cleaner, refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, and air conditioners. As we reported at the time, devices could be switched on and off, settings changed and more.

And as our columnist Mark Pesce has imagined, a compromised connected gas oven could blow up your house.

LG has promised it will announce 20 upgradable appliances during 2022. The Register will try to take one for a spin, because we would like to play with both the security features and if possible see if this stuff can help us to brew better tea.

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LG promises to make home appliance software upgradeable to take on new tasks - The Register

He is a car detailer who gives Ferraris, Lamborghinis and old barn finds the beauty treatment.

Those crusty, oxidized layers? Layers of paint. On any given day, Kosilla might be prepping a supercar like a Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG 003 that is being sold to a billionaire. Or power washing a 1990s Jeep Cherokee that was baking in the Texas desert. Or de-funking a car like a 1969 Pontiac Le Mans that had languished in a garage, undriven for years.

Kosilla and the spotless garage that is home to AmmoNYC is known to two million YouTube subscribers who have watched him demonstrate such auto esoterica as the needle and syringe method for touching up the paint on a Ruf Slantnose Porsche. My colleague Steve Kurutz writes that Kosillas YouTube clips are essentially cleanfluencer content for car buffs.

The grungier the car, like a 1969 Mercedes 280 SL that moldered in a New Jersey garage for 37 years, the more satisfying it is to see Kosilla make it gleam. Its probably not surprising that Kosilla says things like vacuuming is the most therapeutic thing in the world.

In the hierarchy of the automotive world, detailing ranks below body work and engine repair. Kosilla said that overlooks a basic fact: Some of these cars are worth more than homes. The owner of a $12 million McLaren once spent $50,000 to fly him to Pebble Beach, Calif., just so the McLaren would sparkle at a car show.

Kosilla came to detailing after working at the New York Mercantile Exchange in Lower Manhattan after college. By 2005, with money hed saved from the Wall Street job and borrowed from his mother, he opened the New York Motor Club, a carwash in Harrison, N.Y., with two friends.

Kosilla soon developed a reputation as a master of detailing. Anyone can detail, said Matt Farah, 39, one of his partners who later became an automotive journalist and the host of The Smoking Tire podcast. Its not advanced labor to take the wheel off your car and spend three hours with a toothbrush cleaning it. It just requires the desire to have the end result be perfect.

Its never perfect enough for Larry, Farah said.

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A 15-Minute Grocery Delivery That Took 21 Minutes - The New York Times

The City of Bloomington Volunteer Network is your source for information about volunteering locally. For a complete listing, visit BloomingtonVolunteerNetwork.org or call 812-349-3433. The inclusion of an organization in this list does not imply city endorsement or support of the organizations activities or policies.

Information and registration information for the following opportunities can be found online at BloomingtonVolunteerNetwork.org.

Be a part of the people-power that will make this Thanksgiving Food Drive a big success. Thanksgiving is one of the biggest distribution days of the year for Pantry 279. This year, 2,000 Thanksgiving boxes will be assembled and distributed at the Monroe County Fairgrounds Community Building or delivered to homebound residents throughout a multicounty area. The work will be nonstop until everyone has been served! Individuals and groups can participate in this huge effort as helpers with Thanksgiving food box packing and assembly, as delivery drivers, or as on-site traffic volunteers. Two-hour volunteer shifts are available 2-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20. Groups are welcome! Volunteers are needed all month long for regular pantry duties as well. Sign up for a Nov. 19-20 shift here: https://bit.ly/30efxFo. Contact Cindy Chavez at 812-606-1524 or pantry279@yahoo.com.

Volunteers are the heart of the Community Kitchen of Monroe County. Open six days a week, Monday-Saturday, volunteers help prepare and serve free meals for in-house and carry-out patrons at two locations (South Rogers Street and the Express location at 11th and Summit streets). Indiana University students are an important component of the volunteer program, which makes school breaks and days around the holidays critical periods. The kitchen needs more than 100 volunteers each week most of the year to provide their meal services. There are two volunteer shifts daily Monday through Saturday. The six-volunteer prep shift, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., helps with dinner food prep, puts together the cold carry-out meals, and lunches for the after-school programs. Some cleaning and washing dishes may be included. The3:30-6:30 p.m. serving shift of seven volunteers consists mainly of serving the evening meal "cafeteria-style" and doing some cleanup afterward. Those ages 14 and older may volunteer independently. Youth 10-13 may volunteer if accompanied by an adult. Please contact June Taylor at 812-332-0999 or june@monroecommunitykitchen.com and provide a phone number for confirmation.

The kitchen at Beacon's Shalom Community Center serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week to individuals experiencing poverty. It takes lots of volunteers to keep the kitchen running! Families are welcome to volunteer together and individuals age 14 or older can assist with doughnut and bagel pickup, meal preparation, meal service and clean up. Scheduling is flexible, so pick your shift today! Contact Novella Shuck at 812-334-5734, ext. 113, or novella@beaconinc.org.

Middle Way House

Middle Way House is a domestic violence shelter and rape crisis center that offers services including emergency shelter, legal advocacy, transitional housing and support services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. Contact Madeline Plant at 812-337-4510 or development@middleway.orgto arrange a donation.

Featured wishes:$10-20 gift cards (Kroger, Walmart, gas stations), USB wall chargers, brown paper bags, ethnic hair care shampoo, conditioner, and coconut oil, housewares, linens, childrens clothes sizes 12 months-6T especially long-sleeve tops, pants and coats for the winter season, and more!

View their full Wish List online.You can find current in-kind, material needs on the year-round Community Wish List at BloomingtonVolunteerNetwork.org/communitywishlist.

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Volunteer Bloomington: Helping to feed local people in need - The Herald-Times

Yankunytjatjara Pitjantjatjara Elder Sammy Brown was behind a complaint to the ALRM three years ago.

He was caring for his two primary school-aged grandchildren when his power was cut off and owed $12,000.

The [grandchildren] didnt like it, so I had to get family to look after them, wash their clothes, and get them to school, Mr Brown said.

We had no electricity for the washing machine or baths or to stay warm.

It took more than five months to get reconnected, during which time the grandchildren had to live with other relatives while he relied on a backyard campfire to stay warm at night and cook his food.

They cut it off and I said, Ill have to make a fire just to cook in the morning, dinner and supper," he said.

Feel no good, Mr Brown said. touching his chest. I was going to move away.

Residents struggling with their bills have told SBS News it was suggested they apply to the local Native Title group for hardship funding - designed to help with one-off costs such as sorry business, a medical emergency or household goods -to pay their electricity bills.

Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara Aboriginal Corporation (AMYAC) board members say theyve contributed $65,000 to help 65 families with utility debts since 2016.

The board has recently stopped allowing grants to be used to pay power bills and is instead calling on state and federal governments to find a solution because we know the issue is much bigger than the Council itself.

In our view, it is unconscionable that AMYAC members and Native Title holders should have to access Native Title compensation to prevent their essential services being disconnected, an open letter addressed to parliamentarians reads.

If these services cannot be sustained without significant contributions from Native Title funds, government and industry on all levels need to explore longer-term, more equitable solutions to ensure essential services are available to community members at a sustainable price.

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Aboriginal residents of outback SA are having to choose between food and electricity - SBS News