Bloomington Montessori’s mission is to guide our students from self-discovery to global citizenship through Montessori education. Part of this work includes our vision to be a hub for peace and education within the community, partnering with other organizations to reinforce a web of connection throughout the Bloomington and Monroe County area.
This includes service learning and projects with our families and students to support other area nonprofits that are part of the vision of a thriving community for all. With recent changes to federal funding, we wanted to be especially strategic with the partnerships we engage in, to have the greatest positive impact possible.
For this reason, we have chosen to focus our partner relationships on one local organization this year: Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard food pantry.
Who they are:
The Hub works to ensure that all people have access to healthful foods. Community members can get groceries in their food pantry, engage in shared learning in the garden and kitchen, access resources to help grow and prepare food at home, and find opportunities to build community and address the root causes of hunger. They offer
- a food pantry
- a tool share program
- community gardens
- cooking programs
- food security advocacy
Their programming maintains a focus on increasing access to healthy foods in ways that cultivate dignity, agency, and community. This is exemplified in their client-choice food pantry, where individuals shop for the foods that work best for their household in the volume that best meets their needs.
Why we believe in them:
The Hub’s mission and vision align with values of BMS in their focus on:
- building skills, agency, and opportunity
- protecting basic human rights
- working for social justice
- putting community at the heart of what we do
Supporting the Hub represents our organizational value of “working hard and working together as a welcoming community.”
What to expect:
We will be doing multiple projects with The Hub this year, and encourage your family to engage in any capacities that you are able. United as a community, our impact can be greater than the sum of its parts. (Or, as my grandmother used to say, “Many hands make light work.”)
- We just completed the Fall Fun Run, and The Hub was our community partner for the event. We will be presenting the hub with a check for $1,285 from that event! This amount will provide a month of groceries for 128 families of four! Way to go, BMS!
- Our winter food drive will be child-centered food and diaper donations. Each program level will have a challenge to raise for The Hub
- Our Elementary (6-12) will be doing a diaper drive from November 17th to December 17th. Our goal is to hit or exceed 100 packages of diapers! Sizes 12-24 months are most needed. Elementary families, please bring in packages of diapers if you can during this window!
- Early Childhood All-Day Classrooms (Sweetgum and Magnolia) will be bringing in granola bars. These are a great addition to the “kid bags” at the hub and provide healthy, filling after-school snacks.
- Early Childhood Half-Day (Hickory AM and PM) will bring in mac-n-cheese, another kid favorite at The Hub!
- All items should be shelf-stable, unopened, and unexpired.
- Our Upper Elementary will be volunteering to help at the pantry with jobs such as sorting and stocking. (Upper Elementary families, more details will come from classroom teachers.)
- Our Early Childhood will be doing a coin drive as part of their studies to learn about currency. Early Childhood rooms will be accepting donations of all US coins the week of November 10th, 2025. They will use them for currency studies, then donate them to Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard before Thanksgiving break.
- In early spring, the Parent Action Committee (PAC) will be organizing a family service learning project where kids and families work together at The Hub to support their mission.
How you can help:
- If you participated in the Fun Run, you already supported The Hub. Thank you!
- If you are able, please donate to the classroom drives from November 17th to December 17th! (See above.)
- The whole school can bring in coins for the coin drive the week of November 10th! Check your couch cushions!
- Sign up to participate in the PAC family service project! (Details will come out in February or March.)
- As with all hard-working, volunteer-driven, local community organizations, every dollar matters. If you’d like to make a direct financial contribution to The Hub of any amount, you can use this link: https://www.mhcfoodpantry.org/donate
- We will also be creating a social media ad about our partnership with The Hub; please share it with your community and perhaps they will get other donations as well!
