October 27, 2025

Good Works Columbus: October 27th, 2025

Hi gang, welcome back to Good Works Columbus!

Early voting continues this week for the general election (Election Day November 4th). Good Works Columbus endorses Jesse Vogel for Columbus City Council and encourages readers to follow the sample Meowlet.

Things you can do in person

• Hilltop YMCA Tree Planting
  Saturday, November 1, 9:30pm-12:30pm
  2879 Valleyview Drive Columbus, OH
  The Hilltop YMCA received a generous Columbus Tree Assistance Program (TAP) Grant from Franklin Soil and Water to plant 51 Ohio native trees on our property this fall. In addition, the Ohio Hispanic Coalition received additional funding from the Ohio Youth Climate Action Fund to purchase additional trees for this project!
  
  Join us! Our goal is to have all of the holes dug and you get to do the fun part - place a tree into each hole, fill with soil, mulch, and stake.

  Please wear sturdy close-toed shoes
  Shovels, light gloves, and other equipment will be provided

• Cranksgiving Columbus 2025
  Saturday, November 8th 10:00am-2:00pm
  (Editor’s note: Last week’s newsletter had the incorrect date; it’s not November 10th!)
  2971 N High St, Columbus, OH
  

  

  
  Please join us for the Columbus edition of Cranksgiving, a food drive on two wheels! This is a free event for anyone with a bike and a desire to do good. Show up on two wheels, and we’ll hand you a list of Thanksgiving food items to purchase for the Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resource Center Food Pantry. You'll then ride to local grocery stores, buy whatever you'd like to donate, and carry it by bike back to the food pantry. You can then return to our ride start/finish, Combustion Brewing, for some post-ride socializing and fun! We'll have a prize for the person who hauls the most donations by weight and a raffle for all participants!

• Olentangy River Trail Litter Clean Up
  Saturday, November 8, 11:00am-2:00pm
  Tuttle Park 240 W Oakland Ave, Columbus, OH
  Come join the Central Ohio Sierra Club, OSU Student Sierra Club, and Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed to clean up litter on the Olentangy River Trail
   

  We'll meet at the Tuttle Park Community Center and be working on about 1.5 to 2 miles of trail up to Clinton-Como Park. All supplies will be provided. Bring your water bottles.

• FACT Tree Planting
  Saturday, November 8, 9:00am-1:00pm
  4475 Sunbury Rd., Columbus, OH
  Join FACT for a tree planting day at Pathways Park by the Alum Creek Trail by Easton.
  
  

Things you can do online

• Stop Trump from Increasing Homelessness
  

The Trump Administration's approach to homelessness is to treat it like a crime.

But the real crime is this administration's lack of accountability to people experiencing homelessness and the communities where they reside.

Don't let HUD get away with forcing 170,000 formerly homeless people back on the streets – including veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Demand that Congress hold HUD accountable today!

• Ohio Transportation Survey
  Access Ohio 2050 (AO50) is Ohio's long-range, multi-modal transportation plan, developed by the Ohio Department of Transportation, that will Guide the state’s transportation policies, Inform investment decisions, and Support the work already being done to prepare Ohio’s transportation system for the future.

  The AO50 project team has developed 11 Draft Strategies to advance the plan's four goals of: Safety, Preservation, Efficiency, and Mobility.

  The draft strategies are high-level statements that provide direction for the plan but stop short of defining detailed action items.
  
  Survey link here: https://publicinput.com/ao50e2

• MORPC Leaders Listen Survey
  This survey is part of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and The Columbus Dispatch’s Leaders Listen Series, a set of short public opinion polls that invite Central Ohio community members to provide their input on important community development topics. Please complete this survey to share your insights on environmental and sustainability issues and opportunities impacting the region.

• Zone In Public Comment Period
  The second phase for Zone In Columbus is in its comment period, ending November 9th.

Other Stuff

Things I’m reading/watching:

• August Was the First Month Since 2018 Without a Traffic Fatality in Columbus from Columbus Underground

• More bus options being added across northern Ohio and beyond with GoBus expansion from Cleveland.com

• CMHA housing pivot a byproduct of the times from Matter News
  

Have a great day everyone!

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