Greetings!
It has been a great month, with just over a week left. Some of the highlights include hiring a new Self-Sufficiency Coach and a new Development Director and hosting our first Suds for Services event. We also finished up our annual audit and onboarded 6 new food pantry volunteers. Coming up before month's end will be our Self-Sufficiency Center's first Meet and Eat event and Compass Early Learning Center's new parent cohort will have their first meeting.
The biggest ways you can support us right now are:
I am so grateful to all of you for continuing to support MCUM and cheer us on. It is because of your generosity that we can provide our important programs to the community. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Katie
P.S. If you are planning to donate any of the pantry, Compass, or closet items listed to the right, please do so from 8a-4p Monday-Friday. Thank you!
P.P.S. I hope to see many of you at our upcoming Meet & Eat: THIS Friday (2/24) from 12-1 at MCUM!
|
|
Food Pantry
- Helper Meals
- Crackers
- Canned fruit
- Pasta sides
Cleaning Closet
- All-purpose cleaners
- Laundry Detergent
- Toilet Paper
Compass
|
Coming right up: Spring Into Action! |
|
Welcome, Katie and Darcie!
Our New Self-Sufficiency Coach & Development Director
|
|
 |
We are so excited to welcome Katie Emery to the MCUM family as our new Self-Sufficiency Coach! She was born and raised in New England but recently moved to Bloomington from the Sunshine state. While she is new to Monroe County—and MCUM—she has found that this welcoming community is right where she belongs! Katie has always loved working for non-profits and helping those who face adversity. In her free time, Katie enjoys hiking, grilling and spending time with her boyfriend and their three rescue cats.
Katie has filled the position vacated by Erin Vaughn's promotion to SSC Director last month. Her current focus areas at MCUM will be our financial programs: rent/utility assistance, microloans, IDA, and more.
Help us welcome Katie by donating a few cans of kidney beans, her personal favorite, for our food pantry.
We need about 90 cans of kidney beans each month to feed all 200 families that shop at the pantry.
|
|
|
|
Darcie Casey is joining the team at MCUM as our new Development Director where she will be spearheading agency fundraising, donor stewardship, and grant management. A Bloomington resident since 2006, Darcie has spent the majority of her career working in the hospitality industry building relationships.
After graduating from Indiana University, she managed a campground by Lake Monroe, ran the IU campaign for United Way of Monroe County as the Resource Development Assistant, and had a successful six-year career as Oliver Winery’s Events & Experience Manager. Most recently Darcie worked for CCB Counseling as their Project Coordinator securing over $60,000 in grant funding within 9 months.
Darcie lives near Lake Lemon with her husband Adam, son Cannon, and dog Kaine. She enjoys, hiking, reading, yoga, and watching live music with friends.
|
|
|
|
Pictured above: Development Associate and Self-Sufficiency Coach, Camden Hill working the wine pull at Suds for Services. |
|
That's a Wrap: Suds for Services |
We had a great time at our first-ever Suds for Services event on February 9. Roughly 80 people attended the event and helped us to surpass our $25,000 goal. Thank you!
Our sponsors: Old National Bank, First Insurance Group, Ivy Tech, Edward Jones, and Bill C Brown Associates funded an amazing meal and venue. Over 20 community partners contributed to our silent auction. Oliver Winery generously provided all the wine for our wine pull - which sold out within the first hour of the event.
Our speaker, Pamela, shared her compelling story about suddenly having custody of her four young grandchildren and the difference MCUM has made - in terms of high quality early childhood education and groceries and clothing, but, perhaps more importantly, in creating connections and community to support her and her family.
Thank you to EVERYONE who made this a grand success!
|
|
Fourth Grader Raises 84 pounds for food pantry |
Cal Merkel, like many 10-year-olds, is full of energy. He is always on the move – riding his bike from home to school and back every day. He even rides his bike to his other passion, soccer, when he practices with the Bloomington Football Club. No matter the weather, Cal is out there riding, rain or shine.
However, unlike many other 10-year-olds, Cal is thinking about more than just his own world. Knowing that his mom, Jessica Merkel, serves on our board, Cal wanted to know how he could serve too. That’s when he came up with the idea of a food drive – he could channel some of his energy into inspiring his classmates from Mr. Thomas’ classroom at Childs Elementary to bring in food for MCUM’s Self-Sufficiency Center.
Through their efforts, Cal and his classmates raised 89 pounds of food! That is enough food to provide eight families with a supply of food from MCUM’s client-choice pantry. More than just food, MCUM’s client-choice pantry seeks to restore dignity to those in need by offering the opportunity to shop through the food available to them, just as they would in a store.
Cal’s generous efforts are now part of our movement to show personal respect and individualized care to each of our neighbors that approach us for assistance.
Rather than sit idly by, Cal and his classmates chose to channel their youthful energy into finding solutions for our community’s needs. With youth like Cal and his friends, the future is looking bright!
|
|
Pictured above, a confident Cal Merkel in his MCUM swag helping at last year's Merry Market. |
Cal's teacher, Mr. Thomas and Cal give a thumbs up after a successful food drive. |
Do you want to make an impact like Cal?! We are in need of groups to host food drives in March & April for our Spring Into Action Campaign. Contact Camden or visit our food drive site to sign up or learn more.
|
Our Spring Into Action campaign is taking place from March 1 - April 30. Help us raise $40,000 and 1,000 pounds of food for our pantry. |
|
|
|
Our Self-Sufficiency Center's first Meet and Eat of the year is coming right up THIS Friday, February 24 at MCUM from 12-1 pm.
Join us to learn about our microloan program - from how to apply to success stories and everything in between. We'll discuss how the program works, what is needed for a successful partnership, how to apply, and more. This workshop is geared toward ALL who would like to learn more - community partner organizations, potential funders, clients, supporters, and curious individuals wanting to know more. Lunch will be provided (click here to help us plan how much lunch to order).
|
|
Coming up next month: SPRING INTO ACTION! |
|
827 West 14th Court,
Bloomington, IN 47404
812-339-3429
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
