Second Helpings marks a milestone year

July marks the beginning of a new fiscal year (FY) at Second Helpings, and provides a chance to look back at all that our volunteers, donors, and partners made possible over the last twelve months. While every year is full of inspiring stories and more room to grow, the [...]

By |2021-08-10T14:48:46-04:00July 21st, 2021|

Second Helpings expands Hunger Relief program

The next few months at Second Helpings will be busy as the organization works to expand the Hunger Relief program in response to the need for food remaining above pre-pandemic levels. Social distancing continues to be enforced at Second Helpings, but it does limit the number of volunteers [...]

By |2021-08-10T14:30:58-04:00June 29th, 2021|

Marking a Year

CEO Jennifer Vigran speaks to Second Helpings staff and volunteers on March 18, the one-year anniversary of our grab-and-go meals, a symbol of our COVID response. When schools in Marion County closed in March last year, the impact on Second Helpings was dramatic and instantaneous. While the [...]

By |2021-08-10T14:56:27-04:00March 19th, 2021|

Looking back on 2020 at Second Helpings

It goes without saying that this year was unlike any other. The challenges and opportunities presented to Second Helpings in 2020 would have been unimaginable before they came our way. While the COVID-19 pandemic was certainly the story that defined this year for us all, we’d like to take [...]

By |2021-08-10T15:10:41-04:00December 15th, 2020|

Second Helpings delivers 15 millionth meal

Earlier this month, Second Helpings delivered the 15,000,000th meal of our 22-year mission to #FeedIndy. Based on previous years’ operations and initial predictions for 2020, Second Helpings reached this milestone nearly a year earlier than originally expected. This quickened pace to produce more meals is in response to the [...]

By |2021-08-10T15:13:24-04:00October 22nd, 2020|

Indiana National Guard provides critical operational support

The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced nearly every aspect of Second Helpings’ operations from the changing food supply to the growing need for meals. This health crisis also changed our volunteer workforce. Many people chose to restrict their ventures outside the home, due to higher risk factors or other challenges. [...]

By |2021-08-10T15:18:51-04:00July 30th, 2020|

Leaving No One Isolated and Hungry

“Normally” Second Helpings provides meals to community organizations – churches, shelters, community centers, after-school programs and many others share Second Helpings meals with their neighbors, clients and students. That’s happening during the coronavirus outbreak as well, but something kept haunting us – who was getting left behind during this [...]

By |2021-08-10T15:25:16-04:00April 30th, 2020|

We’re only competing with two things. . .

In 2008, I was a new Second Helpings Board member. At my first board retreat we recognized that there was something wrong with a hunger relief system where the organizations responsible for the work didn’t know, understand, or talk to each other. From those discussions arose what would eventually [...]

By |2021-08-10T15:27:32-04:00April 8th, 2020|

A Satellite Kitchen to Serve the Community

For two decades, the Sahm family and their restaurants have supported Second Helpings.  Yesterday, opened a new chapter in that relationship. It started with an email from Eddie Sahm at 2:07 Sunday morning.  By Friday, Sahm’s Cafeteria in the OneAmerica tower had become Second Helpings’ first satellite kitchen, delivering [...]

By |2021-08-10T15:28:10-04:00March 21st, 2020|