The Education Innovation department provides opportunities for adults to learn employment & career development skills, effective parenting, self-development and goal setting and a variety of other classes on topics from health and wellness to financial planning and budgeting that offer individuals an opportunity to gain the tools and knowledge to move forward and achieve positive life change.

The department is divided into the following four areas:

Stand Tall:

 

Stand Tall is our employment and career planning program that assists clients with acquiring job skills and helps prepare them for achieving a new vision for their life and a solid career. Learning to fill out applications, preparing resumes, gathering solid recommendations, mock interviews, interview dress and goal setting are components of this program. Many of our clients have been homeless, unemployed, recently released from incarceration or underemployed and are ready for life transformation and self sufficiency. Stand Tall offers that opportunity

 

 

 

 Baby University:

Baby University is a six week parenting series that teaches women the skills to make healthy choices for themselves and their children resulting in the ability to transcend the barriers of their immediate surroundings and achieve positive generational change. Topics such as Safe Sleep for Babies, Gestational & Child Development, Nutrition, Self-worth & Development, and Post-partum Depression are discussed providing ample opportunity for input and discussion by participants. Baby U graduates are eligible to attend weekly Mom's Club meetings after the completion of the six week course. The bond between a child and the primary caregiver and early development of that bond are critical in any child's achievement of success in all of life's endeavors. This program seeks to develop the skills and practices that will promote this desired social change resulting in positive future outcomes for caregiver and child. Click on Baby U 2012 for class detail.

 

Cafe Education:

 

Café Education is a series of presenters from community agencies that teach about a variety of important topics affecting people's lives. Topics educate participants about financial planning, budgeting, health and wellness, community resources and more. Classes are taught at the two café locations in Cape Coral and Fort Myers while clients are waiting for food or to meet with Case Coaches. Speakers engage the participants with discussion about relevant subject matter that increases participant knowledge and provides opportunity for additional connections to support.

 

 

Life Coaching: 

 

 

Individuals receive Life Coaching through referrals from Case Coaches, other Education Innovation programs and outside agencies. Four different methods are available for accessing this service including one-on –one face to face meeting, group face to face meetings, conference call group meetings, and one-on-one phone meetings. The Education Innovation Director provides Life Coaching by helping the client assess need and set goals for achieving desired goals and positive outcomes. Weekly check-in discussions occur to keep clients on track and to discuss approaches to achieving goals and setting new ones.

 

 

Call Jo Ellen Keller at (239) 332-7687 for more information about classes.

Together We Can Make A Difference

The time is now. Our food pantries are getting a little low and so we decided to do something new, something innovative. Here's your chance to make a difference in your community.

Below are several PDFs that explain our program. Please download them, distribute them, fill them up, sign up, and get invoved.

Food Drive Main Flyer255.76 KB - A flyer for you to download and print out to help spread the word about our food drive.

Food Drive Instructions157.06 KB - Here's a list of suggestions and instructions for getting your organization involved

Food Drive Wish List131.53 KB -  These are lists of things that we need.

Food Drive Registration Form60.94 KB - Download, print out, fill out and submit.

Food Drive Instructions

Schedule a Tour or a Guest Speaker

Would scheduling a tour of CCMI's Everyday Café and Marketplaces or having a guest speaker come share all the impactful programs of CCMI give you a jump start to your food drive? Let's schedule one today! Please contact our Volunteer Liaison, Lisa Cronin, at (239) 332-0441 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Choose a Coordinator

This person (most likely you) will be responsible for communication with CCMI's staff, promoting the food drive and coordinating the actual collection. First, you will work with our Volunteer Liaison, Lisa Cronin. Once your food drive is scheduled and underway she will refer you to our Food Innovation Team Leader, Meghan Madden who will help you with any logistics. You may surround yourself with others who will help you as your committee, but there should only be one person in contact with us to avoid confusion.

Secure Support

Make sure your corporation, church, school or organization's top management has endorsed your food drive and will do everything they can to help promote, organize and run it.

Select Your Dates

The perfect time for your food drive is NOW. We have families coming to us daily seeking food. Select a start date that gives you plenty of time for planning and organizing as well as a realistic end date that gives enough time to market the food drive. A successful well organized food drive can easily be conducted within one week!

Register Your Food Drive

You may use the Food Drive Registration Form PDF at the top of this page. Please feel free to get it back to us one of the following ways. Please make sure your food drive is registered and confirmed by our Volunteer Liaison Dept.

Fax (239) 479-5335

E-Mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mail Attn: Volunteer Department/Lisa Cronin
3429 Martin Luther King Blvd Fort Myers, Florida 33916.

Print Our Wish List

Above is our wish list(s). Non-perishable food donations are always needed but we have specific lists targeted to those customers we serve which might be of interest when your team is collecting. Feel free to share the lists with everyone. If you want to consider other ideas please feel free to think outside the box.

Plan Your Collection

Where will you collect the food? What will you put it in? You may use your own containers and boxes. If yours is a large organization, you may want to have several collection points with at least one container at each location. A smaller organization should choose one large, visible collection point in a high traffic area. Remember, your collection point also serves as continuous publicity for your drive. Consider overflow and safety if food comes in abundance. Set up a secure cashbox for cash donations and checks. Checks can be made out to CCMI.

Set Your Goal and Have Fun

Everyone likes to shoot for a goal. Figure how many pounds of food, or how many items you want to collect. Do not be afraid to think huge! Consider challenges within departments or other companies. When we receive your food we will weigh it and tell you how many pound your team collected. Take pictures as people are dropping off their donations, gather a group around the collection spot and make a memory.

Print our Wish List

Attached is our wish list(s). Non-perishable food donations are always needed but we have specific lists targeted to those customers were serve which might be of interest when your team is collecting. Feel free to share the lists with everyone. If you want to consider other ideas please feel free to think outside the box.

Spread the Word

Promote your food drive via e-mails, fax blast, posters, flyers, and making announcements at every meeting opportunity. Put notices in your local newsletter, bulletin, and other publications. Put collection boxes out early and decorate containers to get them noticed.

Collect the Food

As food donations come in check collection areas for overflow and box items as you go. Continue promoting your food drive throughout the collection period.

Deliver the Food

Have transportation lined up to deliver your food donations to CCMI. Feel free to drop the food off at CCMI 3429 Martin Luther King Blvd. Fort Myers, Florida 33916 our agency is open Monday through Friday 8:30 am till 3:30 pm. We have shopping carts which can be brought out to your car for easy unloading. No appointment is necessary. If you need us to schedule a pick up please give us a one week window to coordinate with our drivers.

Celebrate and Consider a Scheduled Annual Food Drive for CCMI

Thank you for supporting CCMI's mission to end hunger and homelessness in our community! If you would like to send us some pictures of your efforts we will add them to our website! Be sure to name everyone in the pictures. We are now filling our pipeline for annual food drives. Would you and your organization be interested in conducting another food drive the same time next year? May we add you to our calendar?

---

Wish List(s) for Our Customers

FOOD DRIVE

Here are some suggested items that are always wonderful to receive. Rule of thumb: Anything your family eats another family would most likely enjoy. Consider the buy-one-get-one-free items and donate one to us.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Hamburger Helper Chicken Helper Tuna Helper Macaroni & Cheese Tuna - Canned Ham – Canned Chicken – Canned

Roast Beef – Canned Soups (All kinds) Beans (All kinds) Rice (Family Size Bags) Pasta & Pasta Sauce Vegetables – Canned Fruit – Canned Milk - Canned

HOMELESS SUPPLIES

We serve individuals who are homeless and in need of the following items. Small to medium sizes may be donated.

Toothpaste/Brushes Shoes Deodorant Belts Socks Soap Back Packs

Towels Mosquito Spray Shampoo T-Shirts Batteries all sizes Razors Flash Lights Bike Locks/Light

BIRTHDAY IN A BAG

The bags and contents can easily be collected from a Dollar Store.

Feel free to create the bags as a theme (Batman or Princess) or individual (Boy or Girl).

Disposable Cake Pans Cake Mix Cake Icing Bag of Balloons Table Cloth Forks

Cups Napkins Hats Games Little Bags of Toys and Fun Items Plates

The Everyday Café formerly the Fort Myers Soup Kitchen is our new model for providing emergency food to our community. This new approach for long-term hunger elimination changes the mindset of those who serve and those being served, as well as the physical spaces and delivery model created for the distribution of food. We now provide people choices in emergency food in a community cafe setting that also provides opportunities to talk with on-site Case Coaches who will help individuals and families address the underlying issues causing hunger. Through the development of neighborhood storefront cafés, we are able to provide food where hungry people live and work, and reach families at points of contact rather than expecting them to come to the traditional soup kitchens and pantries. The choice café model provides dining that includes choices in food such as nutritious salads, fruit, desserts and a compassionate, communal atmosphere where people can sit down, eat a meal, and be introduced to resources leading to positive change.

Since opening the newly transformed cafés, customers report a more positive feeling and respectful atmosphere. In addition to increased accessiblity through expanded hours and on-site case management, the cafe provides volunteer opportunities for customers and other community members fostering an overall sense of community cooperation.

The café is no longer a soup kitchen but a community hub with a café and community area offering educational classes like financial & homebuyer literacy and our parenting series, Baby University. A child play area now offers parents a more welcoming environment and computer work stations for employment search and preparation are available as well. Case Coaches immediately identify & act on issues contributing to a customer's food insecurity and our Homeless Concierge provides services to the more chronic homeless such as providing hygiene products, mail service, ID replacement and providing referrals and follow-up services. The embedded Everyday Café services create an atmosphere that offers tangible opportunities for individuals and families to achieve long-term, sustainable hunger solutions.

Experience the transformation at either of our Everyday Cafe locations:

• 3429 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Fort Myers, Florida

"The Everyday Marketplace is an innovative way to feed people who may have never known what it's like to be hungry — the 'new hungry' — and are just looking to sustain themselves so they can get back on their feet. Congratulations to CCMI. Continue the innovation." ~ The News-Press

CCMI has fed thousands of individuals and families through Southwest Florida's first mobile food pantries. These innovative rolling distribution centers deliver food and emergency groceries to those in need where they live and work across Southwest Florida, as well as open the door to introduce them to CCMI's other services including assistance with housing, employment, food stamps and tax programs.

“We don’t feed people for a day; we empower them to feed themselves for a lifetime.” ~ Sarah Owen, CCMI CEO

 

The Everyday Marketplace is a sustainable customer choice-centered model for long-term hunger elimination that provides a choice and a voice for the hungry in our community. The market includes ready-to-eat meals, fresh produce, eggs and bread, recipes for healthy meals, and cooking demonstrations, items traditionally not found in food pantries.

The program is an innovative solution addressing the changing hunger needs in Lee County. The market now provides customers an opportunity to choose their own food off market shelves instead of receiving a box of food filled with items that may not be used. Significant waste in our old pre-selected food pantry model often occurred due to people not being familiar with the food, cultural barriers, cooking methods available, or personal taste. Research shows the choice market model will cut down on food waste by 50%, improve the use of resources, and instill a sense of dignity to those accessing our services.

Our School Backpack Program provides emergency food to hungry children in our community. The latest numbers show that approximately 70% of all children in Lee County Schools are now eligible for free or reduced lunch, an increase of 20% since the 2007/08 school year. In the hardest hit areas, as many as 98% of children attending school are on free or reduced lunch. Most of these children are going without any food from the time they leave school on Friday until they return on Monday, as well as during school holidays.

As a result, CCMI partners with several local schools in conjunction with community service and faith-based organizations to implement the school backpack program in order to get food directly into the hands of the children during weekends or holidays away from school. Volunteers are vital to the success of this effort. Community volunteers fill backpacks each week with nutritious and easy to prepare food and school teachers distribute the backpacks to children on Friday. Students eagerly return the empty backpacks on Monday to be refilled for the next week.

Experts agree that good nutrition during childhood is critical to a child's ability to learn. When children miss out on eating key food groups, they are deprived of essential nutrients needed for optimal cognitive functioning. Children participating in this program typically live in a world of uncertainty. We all care deeply about our children. Education provides all children the opportunity to succeed and the backpack program supports that goal by addressing one of roadblocks of positive educational outcomes, child hunger. The Backpack Program offers a safety net for these children, relieving some of the stress of wondering whether they will have food to eat over the weekend. We feed the brain so the brain is ready to learn come Monday morning. This program helps reduce child hunger and improves health and academic outcomes providing support for children and families in need. 

Thank you southwest Florida for helping us serve over 2000 students in Lee County Schools with emergency food from the School Backpack Program!

“All the kids tell me they can think better now. What a difference it makes.” ~ Holly Bell, Principal Orange River Elementary

Meals on Wheels has been in existence in Lee County since 1971 and delivers more than food to the homebound hungry. Regular visits from our team of over 300 volunteer drivers ensure that our clients have daily contact with the outside world. For a few hours per week, Meals on Wheels volunteers make a world of difference in our community.

The Meals on Wheels Home Delivered Meal Program delivers one hot, nutritious and well-balanced meal a day five days a week, including extras for the weekend, to Lee County residents who are elderly, ill or disabled and are unable to shop or prepare their own food. This service, delivered to approximately 950 individuals throughout a year by a team of over 300 volunteer drivers, provides daily nutrition and contact for homebound residents regardless of their ability to pay, thus preserving health, independence and preventing isolation of our customers while being cost effective for our community.

 "It's like I'm visiting friends, and that is what's great about it." ~ Len Jennings, Meals on Wheels volunteer driver

---

Do you, or someone you know, need Home Delivered Meals?

Click on Customer Application to apply for Meals On Wheels. 

Print and complete the application and mail, email or fax to Laura Meyer at:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.              fax: 239-337-1349

We facilitate independence. People are able to remain in their own homes and communities.

We provide security. Our visits ensure that everything is okay at home . . . volunteers have training to know who to contact if it's not.

We prevent isolation. Some days, the Meals on Wheels volunteer may be the recipient's only contact with the world outside.

We promote dignity. People need independence, security, and friendship. 

 Funding and donations are needed that will enable us to meet the needs of clients who cannot pay a nominal fee. If you think you’d like to offer a helping hand, please call CCMI’s Director of Volunteer Services at 239-332-0441, or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . She’ll help you work out the best “volunteer fit” for your schedule.

For more information about eligibility for Home Delivered Meals, please call 239-337-1055

Another recent accomplishment by our students includes the creation of a fictitious company, Beelicious Foods, thanks to a grant from the Junior League of Fort Myers Inc. The students' company prepares healthy snacks and creates craft projects. The proceeds from sales of these items are donated each year to a local United Way partner. The children chose to donate this year's proceeds to ACT, a private, not-for-profit agency committed to serving victims of domestic violence and their children, and survivors of sexual assault and human trafficking. Projects like Beelicious Foods provide an opportunity for students to learn that working hard results in success and that giving back to their community as a result of their hard work and generosity makes a positive impact on others. At the CCMI Community Montessori School, through physical, social, creative and cognitive activities, each child is given the opportunity to thrive.

Contact us at 239-332-7687 for inquiries about enrollment or check out our Volunteer Opportunities to become more involved. 

"By teaching them the skills they need to succeed, we're helping these children become contributing members of society." ~ Julie Adams, Junior League of Fort Myers & CCMI Volunteer