As a permanent resident of Summit County, the Akron Zoo is dedicated to providing a first-class home for animals from around the world, as well as being a valuable community partner. Since today is National Good Neighbor Day, we wanted to share some of the ways the Akron Zoo strives to be a good neighbor, both historically and today!

One of the Akron Zoo’s most notable community events each year is Dreamnight, an evening event open to patients from Akron Children’s Hospital. This event gives children, who are chronically ill or who have a disability, the opportunity to enjoy a free evening at the zoo with their families. The evening includes all of the zoo’s usual rides and attractions, as well as costumed characters, games, activities and more. We feel that his event is an invaluable part of our mission to be inclusive to every person, regardless of ability.

Another notable community event is Backpack Adventure, which is a partnership with Akron Public Schools, as well as several other local businesses, in order to provide every Akron Public Elementary School student with all of their needed school supplies for the following year. This goes hand-in-hand with our mission to inspire lifelong learning in every resident of Summit County!

For all residents of Summit County we offer Community Days, where people of our local communities have the opportunity to visit the Akron Zoo for free. In this way, we can thank the residents of Summit County for their generous support throughout the year.

Though many of these endeavors occur on-site, we also feel outreach is an important part of our role. The Akron Zoo is home to the Akron Chapter of AAZK, or the American Association of Zoo Keepers, who participate in volunteering and fundraising year-round to help our community and the environment. One of their staple volunteer activities is sorting food for our good neighbor, the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank. During their most recent visit in August, these volunteers sorted a whopping 1,600 pounds of beverages, which will be distributed to local families.

In 2020, though closures may have limited some of our usual activities, the Akron Zoo has taken action to help our community through the current pandemic. In April, your Akron Zoo donated 1,400 N-95 masks to the Summit County Emergency Management Agency. We also registered our two ventilators to the state registry, and we were even looking into the possibility of modifying the ventilator to be able to breathe for several people at one time, if needed. As things have improved, your Akron Zoo has continued

to host blood drives through the American Red Cross, which helps provide life-saving treatments for those currently in need. We have also partnered with Feed Your Neighbors to host food drops, where anyone in need can drive through and pick up a hot meal for four. We intend to continue hosting blood drives and food drops for the remainder of this crisis, so be sure to check our website and social media platforms for upcoming events.

So thank you, neighbor! We appreciate your continued support, and hope the Akron Zoo can continue serving as a valuable community partner.

The Akron Zoo is currently open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, so be sure to drop by and visit some of our residents from around the world, and don’t forget to vote your ballot A to Zoo this November!