In 2021 the Marion Independent School Foundation & Alumni Association saw an amazing community response to meeting the needs of students, staff and families in the Marion Independent School District.
This year 219 MISD families received food, pet food, gifts and gift card assistance through the Marion Holiday Giving Project, a 29% increase from 2020 (when assistance was provided to 170 families). In 2021 the project reached 588 children, 397 adults – total of 985 people!
It is truly an amazing community project – with school staff and students, Marion and Cedar Rapids businesses and service clubs, churches, sports teams, PTO’s, Marion Police Department, Chamber, City and more – all working together and our MISD families benefit greatly!
Addition Holiday Giving Project highlights include:
- The Marion Police Department received a $1,000 grant from Kwik Star and chose to donate it to Marion Holiday Giving, providing 40 families with $25 grocery gift cards.
- Lutheran Church of the Resurrection donated $1,830 in grocery gift cards.
- Ascension Lutheran Church donated $625 in gift cards.
- Local businesses including Goldfinch Tap+ Eatery and The Shops at West End served as donation drop-off points and collected items for MISD families.
- The Marion Foundation received $4,470 in gas and grocery gift cards through grants and individual contributions, allowing each of the 219 adopted families to purchase gas for their holiday travels or fresh food like dairy, meat and produce.
- Grocery gift cards complimented non-perishable items that were collected via food drives at each MISD school.
- Marion Cares, an annual supporter, adopted 53 families and coordinated giving efforts with local churches.
- The Marion Foundation received $1,837 in monetary donations this year and will continue to work with Giving Coordinator Michelle Wilson and school counselors to ensure all students have proper winter gear heading into the cold season.
We are grateful for the efforts of everyone who made Holiday Giving possible including adopting families, making deliveries, providing food and pet food, leading food drives, organizing food boxes, encouraging student participation, providing cash, food, books, winter items…and so many other things – and then cleaning up the auditorium after the chaos! Special thanks to Michelle Wilson for leading this project, Madonna Putnam for organizing staff retiree volunteers, National Honor Society students and Take Charge and all other students and staff for their efforts making this event so successful!