Bird food, plant and monetary donations are needed for the Spruce Hill Bird Sanctuary. For more information see the flyer below. Please call the Spruce Hill office (215-349-7825) to arrange a drop off time for bird food donations.

The bird sanctuary is located in the backyards formed by the houses facing Spruce & Locust, 45th & Melville Streets. It is open to the public (the entrance is next to 233 S. Melville). Click here to see photos.

Registration is now open for free “Family and Friends” CPR classes that will be held January 14, 2 – 4 p.m. at the New Africa Center (4243 Lancaster Ave.). This free training is being offered in hope of serving the surrounding community better and has a message that if more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved. The event is co-sponsored by Islamic Cultural Preservation and Information Council.

To register please call 215-222-0520 or 888-739-2234.

The story about neighborhood cat Clark Kent, the nearly dead feline rescued by our reader James last week, has touched a lot of people in West Philly and beyond. City Kitties and the staff at The Cat Doctor, which fought for the cat’s life, received donations from 40 U.S. states and countries like Australia, Germany, Ireland, France, Spain, Israel, England, Netherlands, Singapore, Canada, and Russia.

We also were informed that designer Jen Roder created a special “Clark Kent” button (pictured) which you can buy for only $5. All proceeds from the button sale are going to support other cats and kittens in need.

Here’s one of the holiday volunteer opportunities. Project MEOW is looking for foster parents for their cats this holiday season.

Project MEOW adoptables (like Dewey, pictured) are nurtured in individual foster homes, allowing for personal assessments of their character, to make the best matches possible with their future forever homes. Project MEOW covers medical and health care, promotes the cat’s adoptable status, and reviews the adoption applications – you provide food, litter, toys, and most rewarding of all, the love and attention the kitty needs. Please contact projectmeowadoptions[at]gmail.com to meet your holiday cuddler, and give the gift of fostering.

Project MEOW is an all-volunteer, animal welfare group that humanely reduces the stray cat population in West Philadelphia through rescue, trap-neuter-return and building strong relationships with the residents who feed and care for stray cats.

This is a week to help people in need. Soles4Souls Inc., a charity committed to collecting and distributing shoes to people living in extreme poverty and recovering from natural disasters, has set up a box at Calvary Center (801 S. 48th Street) where you can drop off your used shoes. FYI, Soles4Souls Inc. provides one pair of shoes to a person in need every seven seconds.

Project Theater Project, a community-based company working on the local production of the School Edition of the musical RENT, set up an IndieGoGo fundraising page to help this project several weeks ago. So far they have raised only about a third of their goal and there is just a week left.

To help get a final push toward their goal the project has begun the 11520 Minutes campaign. The fundraising goal can be achieved if just about 180 people donate only $10. To donate please go here.

Twelve talented young people aged 16-23 have been cast for roles in this musical. This is a rare opportunity for high school aged teens since many school music and theater programs have been cut.

Set in the East Village of New York City the show is about AIDS, HIV, drug usage, homosexuality, and gentrification. But it’s also about falling in love and finding your voice.

The shows begin on Dec. 4 at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut Street) and ticket prices are kept low. To order tickets go here. For the full show schedule please check The Rotunda’s events calendar.

33 percent of the profits will go to the cast in the form of scholarships to help the teens reach their dreams as performers.