Harrison Park students who needed new uniforms came to school this week and found they’d already been provided.
The Mitten Foundation donated $3,000 to purchase district-required uniforms for approximately 150 students at the pre-K-8 school on Grand Rapids’ Northwest Side. A nonprofit community outreach of The Mitten Brewing Co., Mitten Foundation pitched in to help low-income families who couldn’t afford uniforms for their children.
Although a stockpile of uniforms is maintained for students who need them, the need often outpaces supply, said Dana Mate Dones, event and nonprofit coordinator for The Mitten Brewing Co. By providing a ready supply of uniforms, the donation ensures students meet the dress code and don’t miss class time, said Dones, adding it’s consistent with the foundation’s mission to “enhance and elevate” the community.
When the school approached the foundation with the need, it was “an easy decision” to meet it, Dones said: “We have the means to take care of the school and students in our community, and when they need some help it’s our responsibility — as simple as being good neighbors.”
