The Friendly Inn has been one of the crown jewels of the Central neighborhood since 1875. Many residents look to the Inn for food assistance, youth programs, mental health resources and more. During my time covering Central as a reporter, I’ve seen residents connect with one another at the Inn and I’ve met a lot of people there, too.

As I was leaving a community meal at the Friendly Inn, I met Tracy Patton. She handed me a brochure about services she was offering in Central. Patton is a woman in recovery. She used her own experience to create Survived to Live, a non-profit for women in recovery.

I also met Cynthia Thomas, 62, a six-year resident of Central and one of the volunteers who helps serve the meals at the Friendly Inn. She caught my attention due to her upbeat personality and infectious smile. She is a veteran who loves her community, and within weeks of moving to Central, she became a volunteer for the weekly neighborhood meal at the Inn. 

How to donate or volunteer

The Friendly Inn runs on volunteers and donations. The staff and volunteers rely on people from around the city to support their efforts. 

Central listening team member, LaQueta Worley, at the Friendly Inn resource fair.
Central listening team member, La Queta Worley, at the Friendly Inn resource fair. Credit: Najee Hall / Signal Cleveland

The Inn needs servers for its weekly neighborhood meal. Volunteers must reach out to Carl Cook at the Friendly Inn for details about the mandatory server training. 

Volunteering at the food pantry, which distributes non-perishable items and other goods, does not require training. Anyone wishing to help can just show up. The food pantry is open from noon to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays.

Johnny Robinson, vice president of programming at the Friendly Inn, said there are other ways people can get involved.

“We have a lot of various community events held here throughout the year. We often just need people to come help man stations or help distribute resources to the community,” Robinson said. “There’s always something going on, so just to have some back up on deck would be helpful.”

Donations can be made by visiting the Friendly Inn website.

He also said that the Inn will hold a Christmas toy drive. Toys can be dropped off at the Friendly Inn during their daily business hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

If you are interested in volunteering for the Friendly Inn, contact 216-431-7656 or email the Inn at [email protected]

Community Reporter (he/him)
I work to gain the trust of Cleveland residents through direct community engagement and storytelling. My goal is to amplify and celebrate the residents and stakeholders who contribute to the success of city neighborhoods. I’m hoping to erase the negative stigma that has been cast on some neighborhoods throughout the years.