Prevent Child Abuse holds poetry contest

Poets wanted!

Prevent Child Abuse Rhode Island is seeking 4- to 8-line poems that reflect its work and/or mission.

The winning poem will be used by Prevent Child Abuse Rhode Island in its grant application to the CTK Foundation. The $10,000 cash grant includes a song written and produced by the Grammy Award-winning group Los Lonely Boys.

Deadline to submit poems is July 31.

For information or to enter a poem, visit Prevent Child Abuse-RI.org/ctkpoem.html.

Program to help calm dog anxiety

Find out how to make your dog feel better when left alone.

Potter Pet University will host a workshop on Separation Anxiety in Dogs at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Potter League for Animals Education Center, 87 Oliphant Lane, Middletown.

Byron Davies, the league’s director of behavior and training, will offer advice on handling dogs that are destructive, vocal or anxious when left alone.

There is no fee but registration is requested.

For more information or to register, call Davies at (401) 846-8276, ext. 104.

Woonsocket museum training docents

If you have some time to spare, volunteer docents are needed this summer at the Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket.

A free three-day training program for docents/guides will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Aug. 11 and 25 and Sept. 1 at the museum. Participants are asked to attend all three sessions.

Program highlights include a Woonsocket history slide presentation, live history performances, outdoor walk and a detailed tour of the museum.

Handouts will be distributed and lunch will be served. For more information or to sign up, contact the museum at (401) 769-9675 or email aconway@rihs.org.

Colon cancer awareness walk Aug. 2

To raise awareness of colon cancer, The Voices of Rhode Island, the local Chapter of The Colon Cancer Alliance, will hold a Colon Cancer Awareness 5K Walk on Aug. 2 at City Park, Asylum Road, Warwick.

Sign-in and registration start at 9 a.m. and the walk will begin at 10.

Registration fee is $10 and includes T-shirt. To register early, visit www.ccalliance.org/ri or call Barbara at (401) 739-5623 for a mail-in application.

Show to clarify nursing home rights

A Tribute to Memories…The Race for the CURE, a television program produced by The Alzheimer’s CURE Foundation, will offer information during July for anyone considering or placing a loved one in a nursing home or assisted-living community.

Marie Stoeckel, chief of operations for the office of facilities regulation of the Rhode Island Department of Health, will discuss the rights and regulations that apply to nursing home residents.

The program will air statewide Sundays at 1 p.m. on channels 18 on Cox and 32 on Verizon; Mondays (except holidays) at 9 p.m. on channels 13 on Cox and 32 on Verizon; and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Kent County network area that covers Warwick, West Warwick, East Greenwich, West Greenwich, North Kingstown, Exeter and Coventry.

Farm Fresh doubles SNAP benefits

Families receiving federal nutrition assistance can double their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at farmers’ markets managed by Farm Fresh RI in Providence, Pawtucket and Woonsocket.

At the Farm Fresh information booth, participants in the Double Value program present their electronic benefits-transfer card and will receive double the amount they plan to spend, up to $10, in Fresh Bucks tokens for use at the market.

Financing for the program is provided by a grant from the nonprofit Wholesome Wave Foundation.

The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program provides coupons for low-income elderly to exchange for fresh produce at farmers’ markets and roadside stands throughout the state.

To qualify for the program, persons 60 or older must declare income based on household size. Those who qualify will receive three $5 vouchers.

More information is available at local senior centers, meal sites or by calling the Department of Elderly Affairs Customer Information, Referral and Assistance Center at (401) 462-4000 (Voice/TTY).

— Compiled by Stephanie McKenna