Winters in Indiana are cold and harsh. Snow and ice wreak havoc on the roads, while the cold can be felt in one’s bones. Hunger any time of the year is hard, but when someone shivers from the cold and is stuck indoors, hunger can be more keenly felt.
For children and teenagers on the south side of Indianapolis, an organization not only offers a warm place and a caring environment to visit every day after school, but a hot, nutritious meal so that that the youth do not feel hunger and cold.
At the Keenan-Stahl unit of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis (BGCI) offers kids a safe haven, where they can learn how to become academically successful and live a healthy life, while building character and leadership.
Keenan-Stahl serves around 300 kids every single day. Serving the south side means that they come from diverse families, with different backgrounds and varying income levels. Keenan-Stahl seeks to make all children and teenagers aware of income disparities and privileges. In addition to following the pillars of BGCI, Keenan-Stahl also incorporates community/volunteer service into the fabric of the club.
Part of that service comes from the organization Indiana Kids. Run by Education Director Isia Williamson at Keenan-Stahl, Indiana Kids seeks to encourage young people to make a difference in their communities. In addition to pursuing academic excellence, participants also devote hours to career sessions and community service. Where do they serve? One place is quite close to home – their own BGCI unit of Keenan-Stahl.
For Yolanda Cowell, Keenan-Stahl changed her life. After moving to Indianapolis several years ago, she enrolled her son in BGCI. After a while, the unit needed a new Kitchen Manager, and with food service experience, Cowell was hired on. “Now I can accomplish something.” She wasn’t finished though.
Originally introduced by a former director, the idea of a food pantry serving the needy in the south side grew under Cowell’s recently direction. “We knew that some people in the area, especially in low income housing, were struggling and needing help,” Cowell said. “We believed that we could provide an outlet for them.” As a result, a few years ago a food pantry was created and once a month, families (not just family members of BGCI participants) could go to the food pantry and pick up what they needed. The food pantry not only provides for families in the area, but also gives the Indiana Kids a chance to volunteer in their own community and serve others. “The kids learn that it’s important to take opportunities to give back their community. They serve others in many generations and learn about other people,” Cowell said. “Plus, they really enjoy it!” Keenan-Stahl volunteers have also come to Second Thursdays at Second Helpings and assist in washing vans during the summer and on Saturdays.
Where else does Second Helpings fit into all of this? It provides the food for the pantry through redirected food, which is food that cannot be used by Second Helpings in meals but can be sent to other organizations to be used. “Through that food, we can serve between 50-120 people every month and provide meals for them,” Cowell explained.
In addition to helping send food for the pantry, Second Helpings sends 15 pans, or 450 meals, every week to Keenan-Stahl. The kids love the meals, especially the fried chicken, chili mac n’ cheese, and pasta. Cowell notes that some kids are wary of the more unknown dishes, but others are not. “Some of these kids eat the meal no matter what it is,” she said. “They may not have hot meals for them when they go home due to parents working late shifts, so we provide this service for them. There is joy in their faces – they know not to take it for granted, and the others around them learn to feel the same way.” In addition, Cowell will leave extra bread out for families to take home. “I hate to waste food, and if I have something to give, the families know that they will get it.”
Without Second Helpings, Cowell is not sure what Keenan-Stahl would do. “We would not have the funding to provide either the meals to the kids every day or the food pantry for the people in the community.” Those cold winter months would feel especially harsh without the daily meals or monthly pantry. In addition, Cowell sees the benefit of both programs for kids who may not face food insecurity. “It opens their eyes to hunger in their own community,” she said. “We know they like serving their community because they continuously come back to do so.”
Not only does Keenan-Stahl serve kids through its many programs, it serves others in the area with its food pantry. “In the future, I’d like to expand the pantry to two times a month in order to serve people even more,” Cowell said.
During these frigid months, BGCI Keenan-Stahl provides a warm, safe haven for children and teenagers, where they can grow and learn while enjoying a hot, nutritious meal. That gnawing feeling of hunger and cold for many children? No more because of the partnership between Keenan-Stahl and Second Helpings.
Written by Abby Rolland