• Shepherd’s Harvest, a collaboration of Good Shepherd UMC and Midwest Food Bank, will be holding its first free food giveaway on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at 2015 S. Arlington Ave. The distributions will continue on the fourth Saturday of every month for the remainder of the year. Families will be asked to fill out a registration form, but there are no restrictions on who receives help. Seniors, military, families, or other people experiencing food insecurity are welcome. For more information, call 317-356-3787.
• Agape Theater Company will present Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar on Feb. 2, 3, 9, and 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 4 and 11 at 3 p.m. at the Indy Fringe Basile Theater, 719 E. St. Clair. Tickets are $16 (VIP), $11 (general admission), or $6 (youth) and are available online at indyfringe.org
• Citizens Energy Group has been hard at work improving Stanley Strader Park (formerly Bethel Park) on the near southeast side. Improvements have been made to the Family Center. In addition, the football field is being renovated with funding from Indy Parks Capital budget. Last year the park located at 2850 Bethel Ave. was renamed for community leader Stanley Strader.
• Tickets are on sale now for the Total Solar Eclipse event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 8. NASA will be broadcasting from the space, and the seats will be open at 10 a.m. for the eclipse, which will happen from 3:06-3:10 p.m. Tickets are $20 (children 18 and under admitted free with paid adult admission) and includes a pair of the “Greatest Spectacles” so you can view the eclipse safely. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Visit indianapolismotorspeedway.com to order tickets now to avoid disappointment.
• Tax time is here and the Indianapolis Public Library will continue to have a limited supply of paper forms in packets. The Indiana Dept. of Revenue and the IRS are trying to encourage more people to file electronically, so supplies of packets will be very limited. The East 38th St. branch will serve as a Volunteer Tax Assistance location by appointment in February through the middle of April. Call 317-275-4352 for information. Please remember: Library staff cannot help you select or fill out your tax forms.
• With the brutal cold snap, our food insecure neighbors have had to rely on the food boxes in our community, as well as pantries. The Big Red Box Project has two locations that empty out almost as fast as they are being filled: 30 N. Audubon in front of Irvington UMC, and Coal Yard Coffee, 400 S. Ritter Ave. Due to the cold, please do not leave glass jars or bottles, or canned goods that are likely to freeze. Dry goods (pastas, granola bars, dry soup mixes, etc.) are very welcome.