The Homer Food Pantry seeks donations of frozen fish, game, beef, chicken, pork — any protein to help meet the nutritional needs of their clients. Please drop off Monday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. or call or text 235-1968 to arrange an appointment to drop off your donation at the Homer United Methodist Church, 770 East End Road.

Please report Sandhill Crane sightings to Kachemak Crane Watch at 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org. Date, time, location, behavior, and number of cranes is helpful. Leave a name and number in case they need more details.

The Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center invites you to join them at noon on Tuesday, April 23 at the Bidarka Inn for a Chamber Luncheon. The Theme is Tourism & Marketing: Tips, Tricks, and Trends. Optional lunch available for purchase; free and open to the public.

The Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, April 24 is offering two sessions of Vacation Rental 101, for current and aspiring vacation rental owners and managers. Both sessions are held at the Homer Chamber of Commerce, 12-1 and 5:30-6:30. Free and open to the public.

Homer Bed and Breakfast Association hosts its popular Spring Kick-off from 1-4 pm, Sunday, April 28, at Wasabi’s. The kick-off brings together businesses and organizations serving visitors with lodging hosts to share what services and activities are available this season. The annual gathering helps build business through personal referrals and is open to everyone. Attendees can bring materials for table-top display and networking, share what’s new during round-table presentations, bring a door prize to highlight their businesses and reconnect with friends. Contact Lori at 299-3989 for more information.

The Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center’s 21st annual clean-up day is almost here. Yellow trash bags are now available for pick up around town at six locations: Homer Chamber of Commerce, Save-U-More, Fritz Creek General Store, Homer Shores Offshore Store, Kachemak Gear Shed, and Ulmer’s Drug and Hardware. Join the clean-up fun any time between now and Saturday, May 4, when you can drop off your filled bags at the Chamber of Commerce and enjoy a free picnic lunch courtesy of the Kachemak Bay Lions Club.

Kenai Peninsula Votes tidbit from Alex Koplin:

We know that voter turnout increases when the candidates and issues directly affect you, the voter. Currently in Alaska, more people are getting involved in governmental affairs because of the governor’s proposed budget. This week, I met a 27-year-old woman. She told me she had never spent any time learning about what was on the ballot and voting didn’t mean that much to her. But now, she has a 2-year-old daughter, and she wants to learn more about specific bills and wants to be more prepared when she votes. Voting is complicated. Sorting through all the information and making sense of it is hard. But it is the responsibility of the voter to learn about what will be on the ballot before going to the voting polls. There are currently issues that impact many Alaskans. Do some research and be an informed voter. Your vote can make a difference.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Road Service Area would like to remind individuals and private contractors not to deposit snow and ice onto borough right-of-ways. This is against Kenai Peninsula Borough code.

Accumulated snow piles and berms near roadways present a safety concern by limiting visibility. It creates road maintenance problems. Call 262-4427 with any questions.

Ultimate Frisbee group meets Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the SPARC.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste facilities are closed on Sundays through April 28, 2019.

For more information contact the KPB Solid Waste Department at 907-262-9667.

Anchor Point Senior Citizens

The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Ave, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Friday.

The center serves Thursday night dinners starting at 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Bingo is at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. on Friday nights. The Helping Hands Thrift Store is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Exercise sessions are at 10 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. For information, call 235-7786.

Friendship Center

Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations.

Programs are offered daily, including story time, crafts and musical performances. Call 235-4556.

Homer Senior Citizens

The Caregiver Support Group meets 2-3:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday in the senior center conference room. Call Pam Hooker at 299-7198 or Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.

Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and guests and is served noon-1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Lunch costs $7 for seniors age 60 and older, and $15 for those under 60.

The menu for the Homer Senior Citizens lunch is: today, roast beef; Friday, almond crusted salmon; Monday, spinach and beef lasagna; Tuesday, roasted chicken breast; Wednesday, beef stroganoff; and next Thursday, baked ham.

Strong Women classes are 1:30-2:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Homer Senior Center.

Zumba Gold classes with Maria are 11 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Homer Senior Center.

Tai chi classes are Thursdays at 3 p.m. Duplicate Bridge meets at 1 p.m. Thursdays. Call Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.

Duplicate Bridge is $3 for members and $5 for non-members.

Strong Women, Zumba and Tai Chi are $5 for members and $7 for non-members.

Pratt Museum

Galleries are closed for renovations until May 2019.

The business office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Kachemak Bay Campus

Registration is now going on for the 2019 Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference being held June 14-18. An optional post-conference workshop is at Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge. Early-bird registration deadline is May 1. For information visit http://writersconference.homer.alaska.edu

Register for fall 2019 classes now. Open registration starts April 15. Save your space and register early. Payments aren’t due until September.

Recreational Boating Classes! Refrigeration Basics for the Marine Industry, April 26 and 27; Outboard Engine Maintenance, May 3-5. Also, Deckhand Skills, May 18 and 19. Visit https://kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com/ for more information or call 235-7743.

Learn the oldest method for firing pottery. Includes two days of studio clay work learning beginning handbuilding pottery techniques. Finish your work with 1 day of firing at the beach. Saturdays and Sundays, April 27 and 28, and May 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Fee includes supplies.

Craig Matkin presents Cetaceans of Southeast Alaska. This one-credit class which runs Wednesdays from 5:30-8:45 p.m. through May 1, is an introduction to the cetaceans of southern Alaska, particularly the killer whale and humpback whale. Includes study of whale evolution, anatomy and physiology, behavior, acoustics and population dynamics. Call 235-7734 to register.

Spend the weekend across the Bay with Conrad Field’s Marine Invertebrates one-credit class on April 20 and 21. Visit the Kasitsna Bay Lab, explore Jakolof Bay, and spend the night in the bunkhouse. Call 235-7743.

South Peninsula Hospital

Teams are being solicited for the annual Homer Steps Up community walking challenge which has the goal of 100 million steps in the month of May. The annual event, sponsored by South Peninsula Hospital in partnership with numerous local agencies, is May 1-28. Teams are asked to enroll in advance and as soon as possible. Individual registration begins in April. Individuals can already join the team “Individual Steppers,” and if your team is already registered, you can enroll at homerstepsup2019.challengerunner.com by checking the box next to “Homer Steps Up! 2019,” clicking the “Enroll” button and following the prompts. Contact Maggie Wyatt at South Peninsula Hospital Health and Wellness at wellness@sphosp.org or 907-235-0970 for more information or to enroll your team.

The annual Safe and Healthy Kids Fair is set for Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Homer High School Commons. This is a free, fun event for children of all ages to focus on safety, health and wellness. The fair offers more than 30 booths and stations with hands on activities and demonstrations. Loads of door prizes are given away throughout the free fair, culminating with the grand prize giveaways of a tricycle and bicycles at the end of the fair.

A bike rodeo will take place in the school parking lot from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kids can bring their bikes for a free inspection to get ready for safe summer fun. Helmets are required, and are available for purchase on site.

Stations include a teddy bear clinic, hearing tests, water safety, giveaways and more. Numerous summer programs offer sign-up at the fair and there will be hands on activities. The theme is be safe, do good, and pass it on, so the fair will include a donation drive of outdoor gear for use in the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies after school program and non-perishable snacks and materials for the KPBSD Students in Transition Program.

Food will be available for purchase. Proceeds from food sales benefit the Safe and Healthy Kids Coalition, a group of local agencies supporting the health and wellbeing of our community.

Contact Red at Sprout for more information at 235-6044. More information at www.sphosp.org.

Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center

Exhibits and gift shop at Alaska Islands & Oceans Visitor Center are open from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday.

Seven local organizations that focus on the nature and culture of Kachemak Bay will host Volunteer Fairs today, Thursday, and Friday, April 19 in the Lobby from 3-6:30 p.m. Join representatives from each organization as they welcome you with refreshments and information on a wide array of volunteer activities, indoors and outside, on both sides of Kachemak Bay – because making a difference is one of the things Homer folks just do naturally.

The Kachemak Bay Conservation Society will be presenting their Earth Day event sponsored by Cook Inlet Keeper on Monday, Aug. 22 from 5-7 p.m. in the Auditorium. Join Dr. Richard Steiner as he presents on the “Imperiled Arctic” at this free event open to the public. For more of the Society’s Earth Day events visit https://www.facebook.com/events/404351323477047/.