Building the Hive Market:
A Harpursville CSD Community Success Story

Topics:
Trusting Relationships, Integrated Systems of Support, Culture of Belonging and Care
Powerful Student and Family Engagement

Above: Take a peek at our Harpursville Hive Market in action!

In January 2024, Katie Bowers and Megan Harrington had a conversation. Katie, a social worker with the Binghamton University Center for Community Schools, was new to the Harpursville Central School District and Megan, a school counselor, was showing her the ropes. Megan explained that when she learned that families were struggling for food, she would often run to the store and pay out of pocket for some emergency groceries. Many school staff did the same, and this generous, loving gesture was becoming unsustainable. 

Katie and some of the Binghamton University social work interns set out to find a solution. What began in spring 2024 as a modest “school pantry,” housed in a storage cabinet of the Drop-In Center and supported by Good Neighbors, quickly grew into something much bigger. The Hive Market also supports the school Cooking Club, led by Megan Harrington. Each week, Megan leads the students in picking out ingredients from the Hive Market and learning to cook them. Students then take ingredients home and prepare the same meal for their families, multiplying the learning and the leftovers. 

The Hive Market has become more than just a food pantry; it’s a vibrant hub of community support where families feel welcomed, students learn the importance of service, and genuine connections are built. With partnerships growing to include hygiene products from local charities and personalized appointment shopping for families needing extra help, Katie and her team have created something truly special—proof that when schools listen to their communities, remarkable things can happen.