POSITIVE CHANGE

In 2016, Bloomingfoods introduced our Positive Change register roundup program as a community-driven fundraising campaign that offers shoppers the opportunity to round their purchase to the nearest dollar, or donate more if they wish. It is so incredibly inspiring to see how small change can make such a big impact!

we are accepting applications for our 2026 Positive Change Program January 1st, 2025 through August 1st, 2025.

The Positive Change candidates are voted on each year by our owner-members during our annual election. Once the election is finished and organizations have been chosen, organizations are assigned months based on average sales during each month and number of votes received. Organizations with the most votes will be placed in months with highest sales.

For more information about our Positive change program qualifications and how to apply, please visit https://www.bloomingfoods.coop/positive-change-application or click the button below.

Learn more!

Pets Alive team members with the Bloomingfoods Positive Change check for February 2023. — Our shoppers raised $10,704.01 for PetsAlive in 2023!

People from Lost River Co-op Market holding a Bloomingfoods Positive Change check for October's total. — Our shoppers raised $15,100.57 for Lost River Co-op Market in 2023!

Members of the WFHB team holding a Bloomingfoods Positive Change check for March 2023. — Our shoppers raised $10,211.66 for WFHB Bloomington Community Radio in 2023!

2025 Positive Change Recipients

January – Friends of Lake Monroe: Friends of Lake Monroe was founded in 2016 to protect and enhance Lake Monroe and its watershed. Lake Monroe is the sole source of drinking water for Bloomington and Monroe County. The Bloomingfoods roundup dollars will help us educate the public about the top threats to Lake Monroe (sediment, nutrients, and bacteria); increase the use of conservation practices on farms and forestland in the watershed; and encourage regular septic system maintenance to avoid septic overflow. Together we can improve the quality of water in Lake Monroe and reduce the frequency of harmful algal blooms, protecting our source of drinking water for years to come.

February – Farm to Family Fund, Inc: The Farm to Family Fund purchases unsold fresh, local and sustainably grown food at half price from farmers at the close of both Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market and Bloomington Winter Farmers’ Market. This food is donated to Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, Pantry 279, Community Kitchen of Monroe County, Hoosier Hills Food Bank, and The Rise at Middle Way House. For eleven years our all-volunteer organization has made a significant financial impact on the bottom line of local farmers while making local, fresh, healthy food available to hundreds of food insecure people in Bloomington and the surrounding area. In our fiscal year ending April 30, we donated over $356,000 worth of farm produce and directly paid farmers $178,000! Positive Change funds will help us to increase our impact on Bloomington’s local food economy.

March – Monroe County Humane Association: Monroe County Humane Association is deeply committed to animal welfare, striving to create a world where every animal thrives. MCHA primarily focuses on the Monroe County community, offering essential programs such as the Crisis Housing Program, which provides a safe haven for pets caught in the crosshairs of human crises, from domestic violence to housing uncertainties and health emergencies. MCHA also works to reduce the number of pets in shelters through the Spay and Neuter Assistance program and make vaccines accessible through Monthly Mobile Vaccine Clinics. MCHA’s Street Outreach Program ensures veterinary care for pets in difficult circumstances like homelessness, and an Accessible Community Veterinary Clinic served over 9,700 pets in 2023. Additionally, MCHA distributes pet food (31,000 lbs in 2023) and essential supplies to those facing financial hardships, emphasizing their commitment to animal well-being.

April – Indiana Forest Alliance: Indiana Forest Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to preserving and restoring Indiana's hardwood forest ecosystem. IFA will put the funds generated from the Positive Change program towards conducting critical scientific research in our forests, monitoring endangered and threatened species and the health of our forests, as well as towards occupying the halls of the statehouse fighting environmentally harmful legislation and advocating for good legislation, funding our urban forest program, working to get legislation passed through Congress to expand Indiana's only wilderness (the Charles Deam Wilderness), and funding awareness and educational programs

May – Bloomington Community Orchard: The Bloomington Community Orchard's mission is to "dream, build, and share an orchard community" while inspiring communities to cultivate thriving systems of sharing and growing food for all to enjoy. We offer weekly opportunities for community members of all experience-levels to help us cultivate the flagship Orchard site, while developing their own hands-on orcharding skills to share with others. We also host "free to the community" classes and workshops (while compensating local educators to team them), to remove any financial barriers from residents taking a more proactive approach to participating in the local food system. As an all-volunteer nonprofit, we will invest the community's donations in more free classes and resources to help grow the community's knowledge and harvests, together.

June – WildCare, Inc: Each year, more than 1,000 injured and infant wildlife come through WildCare Inc.’s doors and benefit from the on- and off-site rehabilitation care provided by our licensed animal care team. Additionally, WildCare provides educational opportunities in the South Central Indiana region, including events at WonderLab, Meadowood Retirement Community, WildCamp, and the Indiana Master Naturalist Program, alongside year-round, hands-on animal-care learning and teaching opportunities for area high-school and university students through internships and volunteer positions. We receive no federal or state funding and rely almost entirely on the generosity of our community to make possible our critical work of rehabilitating and caring for Indiana native wildlife. Positive Change funds will be utilized to continue providing high-quality and consistent care for the animals in our rehabilitative care, which are brought to us by concerned citizens in Bloomington, Monroe County, and surrounding areas. The average cost of weekly care for each animal in rehabilitation is $65. In 2023, we handled 1,313 intakes during the calendar year. As of the end of June 2024, nearly 600 animals had been entrusted with our care.

July – Bloomington Refugee Support Network: Positive Change funds will be used to enhance the lives of asylum seekers and refugees in our community. The Refugee Support Network is an all-volunteer group of folks committed to welcoming the stranger and helping them acclimate to life in the U.S. We exist solely on donations and grants. The money we receive is used to help our clients meet their financial obligations of rent, utilities, internet access, medical needs and transportation, including the purchase of bicycles, both new and used.

August – Friends of the Library: The Friends of the Library is the foundation that raises funding for 90% of the Library's programming. We cannot keep the Library a vibrant and free community resource without your help!

September – Hoosier Hills Food Bank: We will utilize funding to help with food purchases, transportation, and working with local farmers and vendors to purchase food.

*October – Bloomingfoods' choice

November – Pantry 279: We will use the funds raised to help us purchase healthy food items, such as meats, pastas, and canned foods. Near November, we use the funds to help with the Thanksgiving food needs and in the summer, we can use it to help purchase kid friendly food, such as fruit cups, granola bars, oranges, bananas, etc... As we are currently serving over 9000 people a month, these funds will go a long way in helping us get people good, healthy food items.

December – WFHB Bloomington Community Radio: WFHB is your community radio station in Bloomington. WFHB exists to provide an open forum for the exchange and discussion of ideas and issues, and to celebrate and increase the local cultural diversity. WFHB envisions a sustainable, diverse, participatory multimedia service that contributes to an entertained, informed, and empowered community. Funds from the Bloomingfoods Positive Change Program will directly support WFHB's ability to continue serving this community, and support efforts the station is making towards ensuring it's sustainability.

2024 Positive Change Recipients

January $7,893.56 - Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County: For 35 years, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County (HFHMC) has been committed to building and sustaining affordable homeownership opportunities for local families and individuals. All families in the program qualify based on their need for housing, the ability to pay back an affordable mortgage, and a willingness to partner with the organization by volunteering at least 250 hours of "sweat equity" through homeowner readiness classes, volunteering at the Habitat ReStore, and building their neighbors' homes and their own. Since 1988, HFHMC has built 227 homes, housing nearly 840 individuals, including 475 children. HFHMC is currently building homes in its third neighborhood, Osage Place, and the funds raised through the Positive Change program will be used to purchase the materials needed to build a future home in the neighborhood.

February $7,846.40 - Sycamore Land Trust: Sycamore Land Trust was founded in 1990 to preserve the beauty, health, and diversity of southern Indiana’s natural landscape through strategic land conservation and environmental education. We preserve 10,418 acres on over 141 permanently protected properties, restoring declining habitats like wetlands and native wildflower meadows to support rare and endangered species. We maintain over 30 miles of free hiking trails on 13 public preserves and our Environmental Education Program connects thousands of people of all ages and abilities to nature through guided hikes and free outdoor nature programming for local schools and community organizations. A donation to Sycamore will help create a future in which southern Indiana has diverse and abundant habitats for native plants and animals, clean air and water, working lands that are productive and sustainable, and people who embrace the connection between a healthy environment and our quality of life.

March $9,398.42 - Community Kitchen of Monroe County, Inc.: Community Kitchen is the largest provider of free meals in Monroe County. We provide dinner services to anyone in need, no questions asked, from two permanent locations and various mobile sites six days/week. In addition, we have programs targeted at providing food to children, seniors, and the chronically ill, where they are. In 2022, we provided 298,151 meals; 62% of the people we served were children, 15% were seniors and 14% were unhoused.

April $8,664.10 - New Hope Family Shelter: New Hope for Families is a community leader in social services for families in crisis. It administers a dynamic emergency shelter program, keeping families together and equipping them to progress into stable housing, and offers a vibrant, high-quality early learning program that gives children the good start they deserve and nurtures advantages that last a lifetime. Funds received from Bloomingfoods' Positive Change program will help provide meals and nutritious snacks for 48 children birth to age 5 in our early learning program, and will also support New Hope’s acclaimed “Plot to Tot” education program. “Plot to Tot” encourages young children to develop positive attitudes toward healthy foods, through age-appropriate gardening experiences, a network of local growers, and menus emphasizing fresh fruits and vegetables.

May $8,205.58 - Area 10 Agency on Aging: Our Positive Change rewards will directly benefit our Mobile Food Pantry, which delivers supplemental groceries to home-bound individuals, including fresh produce from our Area 10 raised garden. We reach over 300 individuals monthly through this service and serve over 3,000 through all Area 10 services. We also use the support for providing emergency food services, both grocery and home delivered, whenever needed.

June $8,143.33 - Bloomington Meals on Wheels: Bloomington Meals on Wheels provides medically-tailored meals to Bloomington residents who are unable to prepare nutritious meals due to chronic illness, serious disability, or advanced age. Volunteers deliver two prepared meals, one hot and one cold, over lunchtime each day Monday through Friday. Funds raised will provide meals for 40% of our recipients who cannot afford the $12 per day fee. $10,000 would provide 2,000 meals for your Bloomington neighbors.

July $7,005.63 - The Center for Sustainable Living: Through diverse efforts, such as the Neighborhood Planting Project, Indiana Solar for All, and the Bloomington Community Bike Project, the Center for Sustainable Living decreases the community’s reliance on fossil fuels and makes food sustainability, green energy, green transportation, and self-sufficiency attainable for all, regardless of race, class, or sexual orientation. Each of these projects works to provide sustainable lifestyle options for people with limited income: by providing free, sustainable transportation (through the Earn-a-Bike program), free food-bearing native plants for their yards (71,000 since 2017), and free installation of solar power on their homes (8-12 households per year). The CSL is the non-profit umbrella that supports these projects and many others. If selected as a Positive Change recipient, the funds would be directed to these three projects, which currently have the greatest need for funding.

August $8,677.53 - Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington: The vision of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington is to provide all youth and teens in Monroe County high quality experiences that lead to fulfilling and meaningful lives. We believe in fostering integrity, citizenship, excellence and teamwork. The funds will be used to help support activities at our clubs and after school programs for youth.

September $8,804.62 - Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard: Funds from Bloomingfoods Positive Change will be used to support MHC’s low-barrier, client-choice food pantry, which provides access to healthy food in ways that cultivate dignity, self-sufficiency, and community. MHC’s pantry supports 10,000 visits per month, providing community members with free access to a variety of foods, with an emphasis on fresh produce donated by and purchased from local growers.

October $8,143.22 - Terre Foods Community Initiative: The mission of the Terre Foods Community Initiative is to provide access to quality nutrition, increase education on healthy food choices, and serve a food desert in Terre Haute. They are currently doing this by supporting the Terre Foods Cooperative Market to complete renovations on their store and to open this year. Once open, the Terre Foods Coop will provide the Terre Haute community access to organic and local foods at a fair price. As a member-owned market, Terre Foods is committed to serving the needs of the community while using ethical and sustainable business practices. Terre Foods works to encourage the development of a local food system in cooperation with small farmers and businesses in order to sustain and invigorate our regional economy. Donations will go towards needed renovations to open the store, the first fill of the store, and wages and benefits for the general manager and their first employees.

November - Beacon, Inc.: Beacon aids and empowers individuals experiencing extreme poverty, especially hunger and homelessness. Our six programs provide hunger relief, housing, and shelter to thousands of people each year. All Positive Change proceeds will fund Phil's Kitchen, our hunger relief program, which provides breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday to hundreds of people each week. In 2021, Phil's Kitchen served 69,385 meals. With Positive Change's support, Beacon will continue to feed individuals experiencing extreme poverty in our community.

December - Middle Way House: Middle Way House is a social services organization that has existed in the Bloomington Community for over 50 years, supporting all Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Our comprehensive services include Prevention Programs, Crisis Intervention, Legal Advocacy, Emergency Shelter, Childcare and Youth Programs, Support Groups, and Transitional Housing (The RISE!). Funds will be used to support these programs regarding operation costs that directly affect the delivery of our services.