Community celebrates 72-year-anniversary of Highland couple
A convoy of dozens of vehicles drove down Spring Street, passing in front of the home of Jesse and Priscilla Jones, a couple celebrating 72 years of being in love. Read More >>
Coronavirus can't stop Region couple in love
As a white limousine pulled up with a host of Highland police cars and a firetruck in tow, friends and family cheered, tooted horns and rang bells as Katie and Mike DeYoung emerged for the first time as a married couple. Read More >>
Medical front-line workers ride for free on South Shore trains
The South Shore Line is showing its appreciation for medical professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic by offering them free train free rides during May and June. Read More >>
Mobile market a 'blessing' for hospitality workers
An industry in which 9 out of 10 workers are laid off due to COVID-19 received a boost Tuesday. South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, Food Bank of Northwest Indiana and Teibel’s Restaurant and Catering collaborated on a food distribution targeting the hospitality industry. Read More >>
Lunches 'the absolute least we could do' for local police, firefighters
The only thing missing was the beer. Byway Brewing Co. and Snow & Ice Pros Inc. teamed up Friday to do a little something for their community’s police and fire departments. Read More >>
Regionites answer the call for blood donations at Center for Visual and Performing Arts
Starting Friday, the Center for Visual and Performing Arts’ ballroom has been transformed into a blood donation center as the need continues to rise as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Read More >>
Businesses putting together food boxes for seniors and families affected by COVID-19 crisis
NWI businesses have been teaming up with Porter County Aging and Community Services to provide food to seniors and families most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Read More >>
Chesterton Brewery gives away Mask Hooks / Ear Savers
Mask Hooks/ Ear Savers are free to nurses, doctors, and first responders at Chesterton Brewery. Must have ID. $3 donation with no ID to help pay for materials. While supplies last. Read more >>
ArcelorMittal 3D printing ventilators, face shields in coronavirus fight
ArcelorMittal is targeting their large scale production for face shields and ventilators to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more >>
Little Free Pantry to offer 24/7 service to Crown Point community
Late last week, the pantry planted its roots at the Crown Point Police Department, 124 N. East St. -- a project long in the making. Read more >>
Off Square Brewing helps feed the force
Off Square partnered with Generate Sales & Marketing to help “Feed the Force” in our Northwest Indiana community with this fund raiser! For each T-Shirt you purchase, you will buy a meal for one of our frontline workers! Read more >>
Café Fresco creates food, hygiene pantry to help those in need during school closures
As COVID-19 sweeps through the world causing school closures and the loss of jobs, Breanne Zolfo said she knew there would be people in need in the community, and she wanted to do her best to help the ones who needed it. Read more >>
Hotels may be repurposed to house health care workers or patients during COVID-19 crisis
Hotels in the Region could end up being repurposed to provide temporary housing for health care workers or even patients during the coronavirus crisis. Read more >>
Neighbors Helping Neighbors group proves Crown Point's strength
In Crown Point, you can count on your neighbors. A new organization built on positivity quickly has emerged in recent weeks to help strengthen the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more >>
Meals for health care workers initiative expands to restaurants across NWI
DOC's Smokehouse & Craft Bar in Dyer has now distributed hundreds of meals customers bought for front-line health care workers in the fight against coronavirus at hospitals in Munster, Merrillville, East Chicago and Crown Point. Read more >>
Team Radius helps feed healthcare workers
The team at Radius in Valparaiso wanted to show their appreciation to local healthcare workers so they delivered lunch to the ER staff at Porter Regional Hospital. Read More >>
NWI schools, volunteers use 3D printers to supply face masks to local hospitals
Schools across Northwest Indiana are pitching in to help provide personal protective equipment, for health care workers engaged on the front lines of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Read More >>
Bunny hands out free Easter baskets to those in need at Albanese Candy Factory
For families who may not be able to afford traditional treats for their children this Easter can pick up a basket of candy at Albanese Candy Factory. Read more >>
Meal train furnishes food for front-line medical workers
Albert's Diamond Jewelers created a meal train to help feed healthcare employees throughout the region. Read More >>
State of Mind Salon and Day Spa donates gift card revenue to staff
State of Mind Salon and Day Spa in Crown Point have so much gratitude for their staff. They are donating 100% of all the revenue from gift card sales collected to their team. Read More >>
Aftermath Cidery and Winery and Running Vines Winery support the medical workers
If you stop in for a purchase, they will ask you for the name of your favorite healthcare worker. They will then put a heart with that person's name on it in their front window. Watch their video >>
Welch's Stop and Shop is giving back to restaurants and first responders, and DOC's is pitching in
Welch's is taking 5% of all of their Wednesday sales to buy gift cards to local restaurants & bars to promote their business during this tough time. DOC'S Smokehouse and Craft Bar has offered to match all of Welch's gift card purchases from their restaurant, dollar for dollar. Welch's has also donated some of their gift cards purchased to first responders and medical personnel. Read More >>
Region photographer catches snapshots of life during quarantine
Photographer Giedre “G.G.” Gomes, of Cedar Lake, sought a way to keep pursuing her passion. Gomes connected with neighbors through group chats and social media, arranging a neighborhood-wide photo shoot. She asked neighbors to make signs and to tell her when they are photo-ready so she could rush over with her long-lens camera. Read More >>
Indiana Toll Road operator establishes $100,000 school meal grant
Local students will receive weekend meals courtesy of the Indiana Toll Road operator. Read More >>
Throwing booze at COVID-19; NWI distilleries join fight
3 Floyds Distillery and 18th Street Distillery are joining the fight against COVID-19 by making hand sanitizer to those who need it most. Read More >>
Strack & Van Til launches emergency fundraiser for those impacted by coronavirus pandemic
Shoppers at Strack & Van Til Food Markets can donate directly to the local Salvation Army. Emergency funds during the COVID-19 pandemic will help provide meals and other necessities to families experiencing hardships. Read More >>
Smalltown Coffee donates merchandise profits to the crisis
From now until the quarantine ends, Smalltown Coffee in Crown Point is donating all proceeds from the sale of their merchandise towards fighting the pandemic. Read More >>
Porter County firefighters pay tribute to health care workers
Every fire department in Porter County showed up Saturday night at Porter Regional Hospital to salute health care workers there. "The hospitals, they’re the M*A*S*H units. They're the front lines," in the war against COVID-19, said Union Township Fire Chief Mark Werno, who organized the effort. "We're here to show appreciation." Read More >>
Trade unions donate personal protective equipment to fire departments
The Northwestern Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council gathered donations of surplus N95 respirator masks, rubber gloves, protective safety glasses and hazard suits and gave them to fire departments throughout the region. Read More >>
Boutique owner makes face masks for COVID-19 battle
Before the COVID-19 outbreak hit, Patti Pierson made children's clothes for customers of her Pink Sheep Boutique in LaPorte. Now she spends her time sewing face masks to help protect those on the front lines of the pandemic battle. Read More >>
Teibel's giving 100% of gift card sales to employees in need
"A lot of staff need the help," owner Paul Teibel said. "We're just trying to stick together as a crew, like a family, to make it through this." Read More >>
Forest Ridge Academy steps up to shield health care providers
Forest Ridge Academy has joined the growing list of volunteers trying to help during the coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to the work of technology teacher Ruth Richardson and teaching assistant Kim Krachenfels, the Schererville-based independent school is producing face shields for local hospitals in dire need. Read More >>
New protective boxes designed to keep paramedics safe amid COVID-19 pandemic
VKF Renzel USA Corp created a protective device that can be installed and taken off in seconds and is secured with Velcro straps to keep it in place. It's just one of the steps the department has taken to keep its employees safe during the pandemic. Read More >>
Valparaiso Feeds the Frontline in NWI
Feed the Frontline NWI is a new service that allows the public and businesses the opportunity to purchase meals from local restaurants to be delivered to health care workers across the Region, according to the Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce. Read More >>
Panera donates meals to Food Bank of Northwest Indiana
s the need for food assistance grows during the COVID-19 crisis, Panera Bread is collaborating with local organizations to provide meals to food insecure families. Panera is donating 400 meals each weekday to the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana. Read More >>
Provecho Latin Provisions and Pappas Restaurant feed those that matter
Latin Provisions and Pappas Restaurant in Crown Point were able to feed and deliver meals to 700 St. Anthony's frontline workers through two shifts. Read More >>
Aunt Millie’s in Lowell kneads community ties with bread donation
This week, Aunt Millie's Bakery in Lowell rolled out the dough and set out to help Region families in need. The bakery donated 2,100 loaves of bread to The Salvation Army of Lake County, helping hundreds across the county, said Director of Development Kevin Feldman. Read More >>
TradeWinds making masks, surgical gowns to aid local workers
TradeWinds Services Inc., a non-profit organization that serves people with developmental disabilities, is ramping up production on its sewing floor to make masks and surgical gowns in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus. Read More >>
Crown Point business owners share uplifting message amid coronavirus closures
Among the dark display windows donning signs that let patrons know the closures are temporary, some businesses are choosing to display another message. "It's going to be okay," a large white poster with red hearts read from the storefront window at Blue Pear Mercantile, 106 W. Clark St. Read More >>
Gelsosomo's Pizzeria Crown Point giving away free sack lunches to stuck-at-home school kids
Gelsosomo's Crown Point has started giving away free sack lunches for school kids stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every weekday. Read More >>
Andorra Banquets offers deposit match incentive
For a limited time, Andorra Banquets will match deposits on NEW event bookings. Read More >>
Businesses rally to supply health care workers with masks, protective equipment
Thousands of donations of personal protective equipment have poured into local Franciscan Health hospitals. Franciscan Health announced Sullair, a Michigan City manufacturer, donated 1,280 N95 medical face masks to Franciscan Health Michigan City this week. Read More >>
Anytime Fitness to give out 2,000 lunches to students out of school during COVID-19 pandemic
More than a dozen Anytime Fitness locations in the Region plan to distribute hundreds of free lunches to students out of school this week because of the novel coronavirus. Read More >>
Lake Area United Way, YMCA partner to bring emergency child care to essential workers
Lake Area United Way is teaming up with Crossroads YMCA to provide emergency child care services for essential employees needed in responding to the global coronavirus pandemic. Read More >>
Vyto's Pharmacy makes, gives away hand sanitizer
Vyto's family-owned pharmacy received federal permission to produce hand sanitizer in-house and distributed it to police departments and the Hammond Post Office. Read More >>
Top Tier Nutrition donates 14,000 pairs of gloves to Munster hospitals fighting COVID-19
Top Tier Nutrition procured 14,000 hard-to-come-by disposable gloves and is donating them all to front-line health care workers, police officers, firefighters and grocery store employees in town to help them during the coronavirus pandemic. Read More >>
Bread donations being matched by Great Harvest
Great Harvest Bread Company in Crown Point is collecting donations and turning them into loaves of bread for the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana and various other local food pantries in need. For every loaf donated, Great Harvest will match with additional loaf or loaves. Make Your Donation >>
COVID-19 not stopping Legion posts from checking up, helping out
"It's really important to find out if they have any needs, how they're doing," Post 138 Chaplain Chris Talley said. "They've always been important, but it feels a bit more important now." Read More >>
Brickies Being Positive
School City of Hobart posted on Twitter about how Coach Funky and her mom are making masks to donate to the effort. Read More >>
