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MHC's Food Pantry Receives $5,000 from
Perry Township Trustee's Office (5/2008)
Mother Hubbard's Cupboard (MHC), a Bloomington community food pantry, received $5,000 from Perry Township Trustee's Office supporting our Food Pantry Program. With decreased grant funding and steadily increasing client demand for MHC's Food Pantry, this financial assistance from Perry Township is crucial to the continued success of our program. The $5,000 award enables MHC to fully stock our pantry shelves for 7 weeks, providing 10,150 bags of healthy groceries to people in need. During this time of rising food prices and increases in the basic cost of living, low-income households feel their budgets squeezed ever tighter, and many are using services like MHC for assistance. Perry Township also supports MHC's work in the community by providing our current Food Pantry facility rent-free since 2000, an in-kind annual value of $15,760. MHC's long-term partnership with Perry Township, and the Township's recent financial support for our programs are instrumental in helping us meet growing client demand and better serve our community.
Strong Showing of Community Support at MHC's 6th Annual Harvest Team Breakfast (3/2008)
At MHC's Annual Harvest Team Breakfast fundraiser on March 6, over 150 attendees learned about MHC's programs. This event generated over $46,000 in revenue to support our programs. This was made possible in part by a generous anonymous donor who matched the first $10,000 we raised, dollar-for-dollar. We depend on financial support from community donors to fund the majority of our programmatic expenses. Thank you to all who attended, made gifts, supported MHC with in-kind donations and volunteered to make this event possible. Much of the support MHC receives at this event is in the form of multi-year pledges and/or automatic monthly bank account contributions. If you are interested in joining MHC's Harvest Team by making a multi-year pledge of support to our programs contact Brooke for more information or call 355-6843.
Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, Inc. Supports MHC's Community Gardening Program
In fall 2007 MHC received $5,612 from the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, Inc. in support of our Community Gardening Program. In spring of 2008 MHC will begin using this award to purchase much needed gardening tools, materials, and a seasonal hoop house for extended growing! Bolstering MHC's gardening supplies means that we can host more volunteers in our gardens and grow even more food this year. In 2007 our volunteers and patrons tended the gardens, growing 2,200 pounds of organically grown vegetables. This food would have a retail value of $4,840 if our clients were to purchase the same groceries at a store. Support from the Community Foundation enables MHC's Community Gardening Program to meet growing client demand for wholesome, emergency food assistance and allows our program to provide significantly more hands-on educational opportunities to youth, clients and volunteers.
Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, Inc. Supports MHC Food Pantry Program
In May of 2007 MHC received $8,000 from the Community Foundation in support of our Food Pantry. This grant award enables MHC to increase the amount of food we distribute this year by 20%, thats and additional 57,000 pounds of food! This food would have a retail value of $120,840 if our clients were to purchase the same groceries at a store. 57,000 pounds of food allow us to provide 5,938 more client services this year. This support from the Community Foundation is instrumental in helping us meet client demand and better serve our community.
Plan-it-X Fest 2006 supports MHC
Bloomington music fest raises over $8,000 for community organizations>
From July 6-11, Bloomington was host to Plan-it-X Fest, a weeklong music fest hosted by local DIY-punk label Plan-it-X Records. It is estimated that 1,000 people from all over the U.S. and around the globe attended this event, which included workshops on topics ranging from bookbinding to queer culture. MHC Director Libby Yarnelle hosted a workshop about Mother Hubbard's Cupboard to help attendees understand local issues of hunger, poverty, and service.
Plan-it-X Fest brought many positive things to the Bloomington community, including a $3,100 donation to MHC, $3,100 to the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project, $2,000 to Rhino's All Ages Music Club, and $2,000 to support touring bands' expenses. Thank you to Plan-it-X Records and all who organized this community event. Hundreds of people are better fed because of what you've shared. Find out more about Plan-it-X Records at www.plan-it-x.com.
MHC receives 2005 Indiana Achievement Award
Honor carries $10,000 cash award
On June 8, 2005, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard was presented with the prestigious Indiana Achievement Award in the Small/Innovative Organization category. These awards are presented annually to one exemplary nonprofit in each of six categories. The Sycamore Foundation in Indianapolis sponsors this award. For more info, visit their website at www.sycamorefoundation.org.
Representatives from MHC attended the awards luncheon in Indianapolis on June 8, where we were honored with an unrestricted $10,000 cash award and viewed a professionally produced documentary about our programs. The Indianapolis Business Journal featured MHC in their June publication. We also received a commendation from Governor Mitch Daniels.
All of us at MHC are honored that the IAA Awards committee selected us as a model of innovation and effectiveness as a small nonprofit. And, we’re delighted that we’ve grown from a small idea to a successful working organization. Thank you to all our Community partners, volunteers, donors, Staff, Board, and patrons who have all contributed to our success.
From Left: Volunteer BJ Hale, Volunteer Matt Huang, Board President & Co-Founder Jessica Mott, Director Libby Yarnelle, Volunteer Joe Decroes at the IAA Awards Luncheon
Composting Project
Mother Hubbard's Cupboard composts all old produce and bread products to help reduce landfill waste and generate nutrient rich soil that can be used to grow new, healthy plants! Our composting project is one of the ways we stay true to our value of running the Cupboard in an environmentally responsible manner. In-store volunteers and staff collect compostables in large bins, which are then taken to our garden compost piles or to a local farmer, Michael K., who has a large-scale composting operation at his farm. Thanks, Michael and all our gardeners for making healthy, nutrient rich soil with our food waste!