Care to Learn Launches ‘Caring Starts Here’ Capital Campaign

Care to Learn is thrilled to announce the launch of “Caring Starts Here,” a capital campaign to establish a lasting home for Care to Learn’s mission, located in the heart of Springfield (1730 E. Portland).

The campaign marks a significant milestone for the nonprofit, which provides health, hunger, and hygiene resources to help students succeed in school. Over the past 18 years, Care to Learn has grown from one school district with Springfield Public Schools to now partnering with 50+ school districts across Missouri and providing resources to more than 130,000 students. Care to Learn has:  

• Seen a 233% increase in student requests over the past four years.
• Met more than 4.6 million students' needs since 2008.
• Invested $16.7 million in meeting the needs of students in the last 18 years.

“School districts across Missouri are increasingly reaching out to Care to Learn because they are seeing students and families struggle in real and immediate ways,” said Krystal Simon, CEO of Care to Learn. “Several Missouri school districts still need help and don’t have access to our resources. As rising economic pressures continue to stretch families and schools beyond their limits, a larger space will allow us to stand beside more communities, strengthen those partnerships, and ultimately double our statewide impact.”

Care to Learn’s new home and expanded warehouse will allow Care to Learn to maximize capacity for bulk deliveries and in-kind donations, triple the number of volunteer opportunities, and ultimately create a true regional hub. It’s designed not only to meet today’s needs but to position Care to Learn for long-term, strategic, and sustainable growth. 

The “Caring Starts Here” campaign goal is $6.9 million, and Care to Learn has already secured $5.74M of its funding. 

Funding was made possible by a one-time $2.5 million grant from the State of Missouri, the generosity of Doug and Lisa Pitt, the Care to Learn Board of Directors, and several additional donors who have chosen to give anonymously.

To help secure more funding for the campaign, Care to Learn is proud to have the opportunity to earn a $750,000 challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation. The challenge grant will only be awarded once an additional $1,875,000 is raised by January 13, 2027.

“At the end of the day, we want to help more kids,” says Doug Pitt, Founder of Care to Learn. “This new space will allow us to do exactly that and stay true to our mission: ensuring every child has access to health, hunger, and hygiene resources so they can succeed in school.”

Renovations are scheduled to begin this summer, with completion expected in spring 2027. To learn more about the “Caring Starts Here” campaign and how you can help support the Care to Learn mission, visit the Caring Starts Here campaign page.