MPS Earns Over $300,000 for Moore Love 2022 Beneficiaries

Moore Public Schools had its final day of fundraising on March 4 and after the last donations trickled in, the students, employees and administrators earned a combined total of $348,291. The nonprofits selected as this year’s Moore Love beneficiaries will receive checks from MPS Leadership Students on April 18 that will help them sustain selected programs and will also help begin a new Bridges Program at MPS.

This is the fifth year of the MPS Moore Love philanthropic initiative, which has a focus on engaging the MPS community to unite as one fundraising powerhouse to provide funding for real solutions. The Moore Love 2022 beneficiaries are:

• Regional Food Bank: Backpack Program: MPS works with the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank to provide food in backpacks for approximately 700 MPS elementary students without enough food at home to sustain them over the weekend. MPS also has food pantries at many junior highs and high schools for older students.

• The Sharing Tree: The Sharing Tree is a nonprofit that serves families in need by providing a no-cost, dignified shopping experience. Their facility is stocked with clothing, household items and necessities. Many of their patrons are MPS families.

• Moore Public Schools Foundation & Bridges, Inc.: Bridges is a non-profit organization located in Norman with a mission of empowering students in a family crisis or who live alone to succeed. Staff work to remove barriers to high school graduation including help with food, clothing, shelter, and medical needs. They offer students counseling in life skills and advocates help them finish high school and move into the next phase of adulthood with the support of mentors and resources. The MPS Foundation has a mission of enhancing academic excellence, supporting the MPS district, and encouraging community and business involvement with MPS, including assisting with financial support. Through this new partnership, the MPS Foundation will build a capital framework to ultimately renovate or build a site in the MPS district where Bridges can implement their program with MPS students who find themselves in need of safety, security, and the support necessary to graduate.

Student leadership teams from Moore, Westmoore, and Southmoore High Schools heard nonprofit pitches and made the selections in July 2021. This group drives the fundraising efforts for their schools and assists the junior high and elementary schools with fundraising ideas and encouragement. The set fundraising month is February, but MPS students often begin fundraising activities for their interschool competition when school starts in August. MPS has approximately 24,500 students and 2,700 staff members throughout 35 school sites.

Dr. Robert Romines said, “We set a fundraising goal this year that our collective student body completely blew away. I am so proud of all our students and staff who worked hard to make this funding happen for our nonprofits. I’m also humbled by the groundwork we’ll now be able to accomplish through the MPS Foundation and Bridges for our homeless and shelter-insecure population. We can begin a program to care for our own students, right here in Moore.”