Project Coping Box

The Missing Link champions the importance of equipping our youth with the tools and skills necessary to lead productive lives. Over 50% of the families in Cuyahoga County live in poverty. Youth who experience poverty during their developmental years are at greater risk of experiencing Adverse Childhood Experiences (forms of neglect, abuse, and household dysfunction). These rates of poverty are higher in the areas intended for Coping Box distribution--which includes Cleveland, East Cleveland, Maple Heights, and Bedford. Adverse Childhood Experiences can occur in the home and the surrounding community. The new normal of masks, social distancing, and quarantining (courtesy of COVID-19) has added an unprecedented level of emotions to sort through, understand, express, and manage.

With the money raised, Project Coping Box will distribute 200 Coping Boxes to middle and high school students in Cuyahoga County. A Coping Box is a physical container that holds items that guide youth with calming and/or expressing emotions. The coping box is a means of ensuring that youth have access to healthy coping mechanisms.

WANT TO DONATE ITEMS? Drop Off Location: Our Favorite Things Boutique & Event Center at 12730 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44120

August 2020 - September 2020

• Collect item donations through networking, personal/business connections
• Promote community awareness of healthy coping via #31DaysofCoping campaign
• Recruit volunteers and secure box assembly location
• Build hand-made box items

September 2020 - October 2020

• Distribute 200 boxes to Cleveland and surrounding suburbs home to at-risk youth
• Open online pre-registration to the public 
• Set up a table at Major Care Ministries Food Drive and various high traffic centers to register youth to receive Coping Boxes
• Distribution locations: Major Care Ministries, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Bumper Crop Farm, Our Favorite Things Boutique and Events
• Establish additional partnerships for registration and distribution 

Items Secured (donated)

• ABC Learn providing books
• Major Care Ministries providing all non-perishable snacks
• Cleveland Rape Crisis Center providing all stress balls and chapstick
• Our Favorite Things Boutique and Event Center providing Jax Games sets
• Literacy in the Hood providing 200 books

WANT TO DONATE ITEMS? Drop Off Location: Our Favorite Things Boutique & Event Center at 12730 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44120

We have developed Project Coping Box in an effort to assist youth (and their families) in navigating emotions of loneliness, stress, anxiety, anger, and more due to social isolation brought on by COVID-19:

• Exposing youth to 10+ healthy coping mechanisms
• Providing healthy coping mechanisms to replace unhealthy coping patterns
• Enabling youth to determine which coping mechanisms are ideal for their personality
• Encouraging parents and families to openly discuss emotions

*We are currently accepting item donations for Coping Boxes. The following items are needed:

• Warm or Fuzzy Socks
• Hard Candy 
• Scented Lotion 
• Journals 
• Notebooks
• Sketch Books
• Colored Pencils
• Mini Massagers (handheld, manual)
• Jump Ropes
• Bubble Wrap 
• Jax games
• Playing Cards
• Dominos
• Yo-Yo’s

WANT TO DONATE ITEMS? Drop Off Location: Our Favorite Things Boutique & Event Center at 12730 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44120