Community Services

Sacramento – September 07, 2026 -- The California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) will hold its 34th Annual Recovery Happens event on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at California State Capitol Park in Sacramento, marking the state's official kickoff for National Recovery Month.

The free, public event runs from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM in Area 33 of the park and is expected to draw hundreds of people in recovery, their families, and behavioral health professionals.

A free breakfast and live music open the day

Attendees can enjoy a complimentary pancake breakfast starting at 8:00 AM, followed by a live performance from COLOSO. Community exhibits will feature resource tables staffed by treatment providers, advocates, and peer support specialists.

Holmdel, N.J. – September 07, 2026 -- The FirstEnergy Foundation is awarding $1.3 million to 25 New Jersey food banks and pantries, funding expected to provide more than 3.8 million meals across the state. The grants, announced during Hunger Action Month, mark the largest hunger-relief investment in the Foundation's history.

The New Jersey funding is part of a broader $5 million initiative supporting nearly 150 hunger-relief organizations across six states and the District of Columbia. The New Jersey grants specifically benefit communities served by Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L).

Food insecurity affects 1.2 million New Jerseyans

Feeding America estimates more than 1.2 million people in New Jersey, or 13% of the population, experienced food insecurity in 2024, including roughly one in six children. Food banks across the state say demand continues to grow amid ongoing economic pressures.

Webster Groves, Mo. – September 07, 2026 -- Autumn returns to Big Bend Boulevard as the Merchant & Business Association of Old Orchard hosts its Fall Festival on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25, running 10:00AM to 6:00PM both days. The two-day event transforms Big Bend Boulevard between Dale Avenue and Summit Avenue into a seasonal celebration, with Log Cabin Lane closing to traffic for the first time to serve as a festival hub between Big Bend Boulevard and East Frisco Avenue.

Fourteen bands split across two stages this year

For the first time, the festival expands to two live music stages, doubling the entertainment across the weekend. Fourteen bands are confirmed, including Jake's Leg, Voodoo Funky Butt Brass Band, The Brothers Lazaroff, and the Webster Groves High School Jazz Band, with additional acts still to be announced.

Doylestown – September 07, 2026 -- More than 60,000 runners, walkers, ruckers and volunteers will gather across over 100 communities nationwide for the 19th annual 9/11 Heroes Run, marking 25 years since the September 11 attacks.

The race series, organized by the Travis Manion Foundation (TMF), begins September 5 and continues into October. For the first time, CVS Health is serving as national title sponsor, backing efforts to expand the event's reach.

The run traces back to a Marine's visit to FDNY firefighters

The event was inspired by 1stLt Travis Manion, USMC, who was killed in Iraq in April 2007 while protecting fellow Marines. Before his final deployment, Manion visited New York City Fire Department Rescue Company 1, which suffered heavy losses on 9/11, and left inspired by the courage of first responders. The first Heroes Run took place in 2008 in his hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Frankfurt – September 07, 2026 -- Youth clubs, associations, and groups across Germany are reporting break-ins, threats, and physical attacks linked to far-right extremists, according to a new study cited exclusively by the Frankfurter Rundschau.

The findings come from the "Bedrohungsstudie 2026" (Threat Study 2026), compiled by education researcher Benno Hafeneger, education expert Jana Sämann, and Deutscher Bundesjugendring (DBJR) staff members Maximilian Lorenz and Lars Reisner. The study is set to be published in the November issue of the trade journal "deutsche jugend," though the Frankfurter Rundschau has already obtained a copy.

Munich – September 04, 2026 -- A new episode of "Hartz und herzlich - Tag für Tag Rostock" airs September 1, 2026 at 8:15 PM on RTLZWEI, with the episode available seven days early on RTL+.

Jasmin and Maik juggle housing search with benefits renewal

The couple currently lives temporarily with Maik's mother Bärbel while searching for their own apartment. They face a Jobcenter appointment to renew their social benefits applications. Maik has also interviewed in person at a landscaping company, with the conversation opening up the possibility of a mini-job as a starting point.

Orlando, Florida – September 04, 2026 -- A new Public Television segment of "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia," filmed July 29, 2026, in Orlando, spotlights how nonprofit 26Health is reshaping chronic care access for underserved communities.

The segment shows how 26Health blends primary medicine with mobile testing units

The organization combines primary medicine, mental health services, and mobile testing to lower barriers to care for populations historically excluded from mainstream healthcare access.

26Health builds its programs on data from demographics often missing from major studies

By intentionally collecting wellness data from groups like Black women, the organization says it can identify clinical blind spots and tailor prevention strategies to the actual epidemiology of the communities it serves.

Buffalo, N.Y. – September 03, 2026 -- New Era and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen have launched the 2026 Billustration Collection, eight caps designed by children receiving care at Golisano Children's Hospital of Buffalo (GCH Buffalo), with every purchase benefiting the Patricia Allen Fund at the hospital.

The caps are available now at neweracap.com, the New Era Buffalo Store, the New Era SoHo Flagship Store, Buffalo Bills Highmark Stadium, and select retail partners.

Eight children turned personal memories into wearable art

The designs come from young patients Jack, Mason, Charlotte, Isaac, Avery, Amar'e, Killian, Caleb and Grace. Allen will debut each design during his tunnel walk at a corresponding Bills home game, starting September 17, 2026 against the Detroit Lions and running through a January 2027 matchup against the New York Jets.

Kaiserslautern – September 03, 2026 -- Public broadcaster SWR handed out its 2026 "Ehrensache" awards live from Stiftsplatz in Kaiserslautern, honoring volunteers from Rhineland-Palatinate during the regional Volunteer Day on August 30. The ceremony aired live on SWR television starting at 6:15 p.m. as the centerpiece of the day's events.

Viewers picked Karina Peters as the public favorite

Karina Peters from Bleialf won the audience-voted prize for her work supporting the Alftal Blasorchester, a youth-heavy brass band in the Bitburg-Prüm district. Viewers of SWR Landesschau Rheinland-Pfalz and SWR4 radio listeners chose her from a field of ten candidates in an online vote.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- August 27, 2026 -- Nine graduate social work students in Riverside County, California, began working directly inside one of the region's largest public agencies this week after California Baptist University (CBU) and the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) launched the inaugural ANCHOR Fellowship on Aug. 26 with a blazer ceremony at CBU. The yearlong program places CBU graduate students in leadership assignments tied to DPSS programs, operations and services. DPSS serves more than 1 million county residents every year.