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School supply give-away

There will be a school supply give-away on Friday, July 30, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the Town of Franklinton town hall, for students in pre-K through 12th grade. School supply donations can be dropped off at the town hall, 301 11th Ave., between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays. Monetary donations can be made out to “Cash” or by calling the following phone numbers: 985-515-0268, 985-516-0001 or 985-515-7827. This event is hosted by the Franklinton Social Planning Committee.

You can make a difference, run for tourism commission

The Washington Parish Tourism Commission is seeking interested citizens to fill an open commission seat.  Consider spending a few hours each month evaluating matter that helps shape the future of tourism in our community. Commission Members serve a three-year term.  Applicants must be a resident of Washington Parish at least 18 years of age. The Commission is seeking candidates from the Enon, Isabel, Plainview areas as a priority. All interested persons should still submit a resume. This is a volunteer position. Send your resume to wptour@bellsouth.net or mail to Washington Parish Tourism, 1950 Washington St., Franklinton, LA 70438. The deadline is Saturday, July 31.

Barber/Warren family reunion

The Barber/Warren family (descendants of Sam Warren and Ira Barber) reunion will be Saturday, Aug. 28, from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the Pine Masonic Lodge. Bring a covered dish, old photos and enjoy the day with family. For any questions, call Lois Warren Tynes at 985-848-5986.

Bogalusa Open Market

The Bogalusa Parks Recreation and Culture Commission will be holding the Bogalusa Open Market on Saturday, Oct. 2. This event will be similar to the city-wide garage sale in Abita Springs. The market will take place from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Bogalusa Sports Complex on Avenue B. Opportunities include garage sale booths, vendor booths, food booths and interactive map advertising. For more information or an application, visit “Bogalusa Open Market” on Facebook or email bprcc.bogopenmarket@gmail.com. The deadline to sign up to participate in Sept. 1.

Riggins/McClurie Memorial Scholarship

The Riggins/McClurie Memorial Sponsorship was started in honor of the life and legacy of McClurie Sampson, David Riggins and all past presidents and members of the Louisiana Municipal Black Caucus Association. The purpose of the scholarship is to assist first- and second-year undergraduate students with the burden of paying for higher education while also encouraging them to come back and promote their communities by striving for greatness. Must be a first or second-year undergraduate student in good standing. If an applicant is a first-year student, a letter of acceptance must be attached to application from the school of his or her choice. The school must be in Louisiana. Applicants must submit an essay of no more than 1,000 words on a topic of concern within their community, and upon completion of college what steps will they take to improve their community. Each submission must state the name of the Caucus Member and/or organization that recommended them. One submission per municipal organization. The member/municipality must be in good standing. All applications must be electronically submitted to djjohnson2431@yahoo.com by July 31, 2021. The subject line should read “2021 Riggins/McClurie Memorial Scholarship.”

Emergency housing vouchers

The Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program is available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Through EHV, the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is providing 70,000 housing choice vouchers to local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to assist individuals and families who are: homeless; at risk of homelessness; fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking; or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability. If you meet one or more of the following criteria, contact the Northlake Homeless Coalition by calling 985-326-8312 or emailing nlc@northlakehomeless.org.

American Legion bingo

Bingo is back at the American Legion building every Thursday. Masks are not required. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Washington Parish alert system

Stay alert by enrolling in the Washington Parish Emergency Notification System. This alert system provides rapid notification of emergencies, critical events and urgent situations. The alert system can send notifications through the following methods: phone call, text, email or TTY/TTD service for the hearing impaired. Landline phones are automatically entered for the alert system. To receive alerts through a mobile phone or email, a citizen must register through one of the following options: call 985-282-2620, text “Alert” to 985-282-2620, or sign up online at www.hyper-reach.com/lawashingtonsignup.html. Citizens can also download the Hyper Reach Anywhere app to any smartphone. This alert system is completely free.

Bogalusa Help Center

It’s easy to smile when someone cares, and Bogalusa Help Center, our local food bank, cares. It is now a drive-through operation, located at 350 Martin Luther King Drive in Bogalusa. It is open from 8 a.m. until noon every Wednesday (except the fifth Wednesday of the month) providing food to those in need in our community. Since partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank/USDA, and along with generous donations from our community, BHC now distributes 35-40 pounds of food each month to over 400 families. These distributions include canned goods, meat, dry beans, peanut butter, fresh fruit and vegetables, etc. New clients can apply each week. They must provide: Name of head of the household; driver’s license or ID; address; number of persons in the household and ages; and SNAP or SSI printout, or proof of income of all in the household. Donations are always very much needed and appreciated. For more information, BHC may be reached at 985-735-6404 every Wednesday.

Ongoing services at the Bogalusa library

• The Bogalusa branch of the Washington Parish Library offers a variety of services throughout the year. Faxing is available for $1 per 20 pages, and copies can be made for 20 cents each (black and white) or 50 cents each for color. There is also free computers for use — the first five copies are free, and it is 10 cents a copy after the first five.

• If you are an E-book reader, check out the selections offered by the Washington Parish Library in partnership with four other library systems.

• Patrons have free access to ancestry.com at any Washington Parish Library, and free access to heritagequest.com from any home or personal device, as well as a large selection of genealogy materials at the Bogalusa and Franklinton branches.

• The Bogalusa branch receives current copies of local and national newspapers, as well as popular magazine publications. The public is invited to sit in the comfortable reading center to enjoy their favorites.

• For students, the Homework Louisiana website offers a variety of assistance methods, including a live online tutor, “Skills Builder,” homework help and tutoring for kindergarten through basic college level, a writing center, a career center and an adult education center.

Republican Executive Committee

The Washington Republican Parish Executive Committee (PEC) meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. On even months the meetings are held at Bogalusa City Hall, and on odd months they are held at the Washington Parish Courthouse.

Democratic Executive Committee

The Washington Parish Democratic Executive Committee meets the first Monday of every month at 6 p.m. The committee meets at Bogalusa City Hall in even-numbered months, and at Franklinton Town Hall in odd-numbered months. All members and interested parties are urged to attend.

Support group

The BRIDGES support group meetings are available in both Franklinton and Bogalusa now. The name stands for “Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support.” The group meetings, aimed at those with mental disorders, are confidential and free of charge. The meetings are held at Monroe Street Baptist Church, 1412 Monroe St. in Bogalusa, on Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. For additional information, contact Brian Collins at 985-205-5599.

Franklinton library children’s programs

The Washington Parish library offers many free programs to the public, including story times for children. The Franklinton branch hosts its story times every other Saturday at 11:30 a.m. At story times, children are read fun stories, do fun crafts, and have snacks. Come join us at the Franklinton library for our story time.

Charity bingo

The Bogalusa American Legion Post 24 holds charity bingo every Thursday night at the Legion Hall. This event sponsors flag education in schools, many scholarships to local students, military honors at veterans’ funerals, and much more. Each bingo night, more than $10,000 in prizes are awarded from the bingo and pull-tab games. The top bingo prize on the blackout game is $1,000, with 14 other bingo games with prizes from $50 to $300. There are eight or more pull-tab prizes of $500. Come early to get a good seat, limit is 250, and concessions are provided. A night of fun with a full set of bingo games costing only $20.

Library story time

The Washington Parish Library hosts weekly children’s programs during the school year. Children enjoy stories, crafts, and snacks during story time. Movie matinees are also offered once a month. Story time is scheduled for Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. All children and family members are welcome to attend.

Tech time at the library

Free technology help is available at the Washington Parish Library by appointment, or by dropping by during “Tech Time” hours at the Franklinton and Bogalusa branches. Times are Mondays at the Franklinton branch, from noon until 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. until 5 p.m.; and Wednesdays at the Bogalusa branch, from noon until 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. until 5 p.m. You can get help with using library services online (library database), email set-up and use, computer basics, Internet basics, Microsoft Office, social networking, mobile devices, downloading e-books, and how to search for a job online, among other topics. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the Franklinton branch at 985-839-7806 or the Bogalusa branch at 985-735-1961.

‘Lunch and Learn’ diabetes education

Every third Thursday of the month, the Washington Community Health Center hosts a “Lunch and Learn” diabetes education seminar from 1:35 p.m. to 3 p.m. at their offices at 2807 South Columbia St. in Bogalusa. Call 985-730-7310 or 504-256-3703 for more information.

PAL Support Group

Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PAL) has a support group that meets at the ADAPT office, 216 Memphis St. in Bogalusa, every Tuesday from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Rhonda Gunnell, facilitator of the group, encourages parents and spouses of family members who are abuse or are addicted to drugs or alcohol to attend the meetings. The group is free of charge and offers help and hope to family members of the addict. The focus of each meeting is one of nine educational topics, such as how to help an addicted loved one in a healthy way and how to identify enabling behavior. There is no requirement to go to every meeting or learn all the educational topics. Meetings also include a time for prayer, although the group is open to any denomination or religion. For more information, call Gunnell at ADAPT at 985-735-0160.

Grief support

Join St. Tammany Parish Hospital spiritual care providers and social workers for a support group open to all who are grieving any loss. The group meets from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month in the Madisonville Conference Room at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, 1203 S. Tyler St., in Covington. For more information, contact Daniel Vanek, chaplain, at 985-898-4562 or dvanek@stph.org.

Tai Chi and meditation

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital will offer free Tai Chi classes from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and free meditation classes from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every Monday at the Paul D. Cordes Outpatient Pavilion, located at 16300 Louisiana Highway 1085 in Covington.

New baby support group

St. Tammany Parish Hospital Parenting Center holds its new baby support group from 11:15 a.m. to noon every Thursday at 1505 N. Florida St., Suite B, in Covington. Join other mothers and their little ones up to seven months old to discuss child development and parenting tips with other parents as well as professionals. The group is free. To register or for more information, contact ksupan@stph.org or 985-898-4435.

Safety seat inspection

To see if your child is safe in their car seat, call 985-898-4435 to schedule an appointment with the Parenting Center to have your child’s safety seat inspected. Inspections are also held at Troop L from 3-6 p.m. every Tuesday. Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments are appreciated. Call 985-893-6250 or email greg.marchand@la.gov for more information.

Al-Anon meetings

The Hope for Today Al-Anon family group meets every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at 1918 Ave. F in Bogalusa. For more information, call 985-570-3460 or 985-516-1263.

Washington Parish Council on Aging Board of Directors meeting

Washington Parish Council on Aging board of directors meets on the fourth Friday of every other month. The meeting location alternates between the Franklinton Senior Center and the Bogalusa Senior Center. For more information, call 985-839-4535.

If you have any information for the Community Calendar, please email it to justin.schuver@bogalusadailynews.com.