It’s never easy to be in need of food and shelter, the need for those necessities are heightened during periods of the most extreme weather. Since 1947, the Cherry Street Mission has worked to provide basic needs to those who desire assistance.

The coaches at Lucas County’s Financial Opportunity Centers (FOCs) are one of Northwest Ohio’s best kept secrets. Working one-on-one, the coaches help clients reach financial goals like getting out of debt, boosting savings or improving their credit scores.

Tessa’s primary care physician advised her to take melatonin to help with the sleep and wrote her prescriptions for the other ailments. Tessa confesses, “I would take 12 melatonin pills, plus all my other meds that I’m on, and I still couldn’t sleep. There were days when I had to go home early because I was afraid it wouldn’t be safe for me (to wait any longer) to drive [from exhaustion].”

Everybody, it seems, makes healthy-eating resolutions this time of year. How well we fulfill those good intentions depends a good deal on how much we challenge our taste buds. Cottage cheese, while a wholesome choice, is about as exciting as, well, cottage cheese.