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We are ecstatic to be the Bloomington host to the @indianataskforce Vending Machine Project! Thanks to Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, the Midwest Action Coalition and the Indiana Task Force - Gather will be the home of a FREE use Vending Machine stocked with emergency contraception, pregnancy tests, condoms, and birth control to name just a few things! From now until May 2nd we will be having an online fundraiser to help stock the machine (it takes about $200 to fully stock a machine for a month!). You can give via this link! square.link/u/mh66gm7m On May 2nd, we will Hard Launch the Vending Machine to the public during a special event that coincides with our May Gallery Walk with Lafayette Potter, Angela Vinson (another machine happens to live in Lafayette!). On Friday May 2nd, beginning at 5pm, remarks starting at 6pm speakers from Indiana Task Force speakers from Midwest Action Coalition Hoosier Asian American Power shares their support The Hub explains their connection our Gather artists will share their connection In addition, in our DIY Bar we'll have a Community Art Project for everyone to add their spark to. ----------------- A permanent installation will debut at Gather Shoppe (116 N Walnut St) as part of May’s First Friday Gallery Walk on Friday, May 2. From 5 to 8 pm, the community is invited to a kickoff celebration for the opening of a free-to-use vending machine stocked with emergency contraceptive supplies. This project is a collaboration between Indiana Task Force and several Bloomington-Based organizations, and community members. While the event is an open house, remarks from members of the planning committee will begin at 6 pm. Led by the Indiana Task Force, with support from Midwest Access Coalition. Local community partners supporting the project include Hoosier Asian American Power and Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, a community food resource center aiming to increase access to food in ways that cultivate dignity, agency, and community. Representatives from the organizations will be on site to answer questions and share how this project intersects with their mission. Friday’s open house and kickoff celebration is the first in a series of events to raise awareness about the emergency contraceptive vending machine. Join us in keeping the conversation going on Tuesday, May 6 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater for a screening of Preconceived, a film highlighting the negative impacts of so-called “pregnancy resource centers” in a post-Roe world. The evening begins with a panel discussion on reproductive justice in our local community beginning at 7 pm followed by the film at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $6 and available at buskirkchumley.org/events/preconceived-2024-may-6-2025/ Doors open at 6:30 pm. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Complimentary tickets will be made available at the door as needed.
