“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 pandemic? What about home-bound seniors and households in quarantine that lacked other access to the food they needed?
Fortunately, a partnership between Second Helpings, Indy Hunger Network, Nine13sports, and Gleaners addresses that problem.
People who need food assistance have two primary access points for information – Indiana 211 and the Community Compass app (for Marion County). Both resources have information about food pantries and other nearby food distribution sites. And for those who can’t access pantries or other programs are now referred to the Indy Hunger Network for home delivery.
Indy Hunger Network staff talks with each caller to make sure that they get the type of food they need. Based on each household’s situation, the Indy Hunger Network staff arranges for them to receive pantry items from Gleaners or prepared meals from Second Helpings. The prepared meals include both frozen and shelf-stable meals that are especially needed by people with limited refrigeration such as those living in motel units.
That’s when Nine13sports steps in. An innovative not-for-profit dedicated to helping children build fitness and self-esteem through riding bicycles and learning to maintain them, Nine13sports has dedicated their warehouse, fleet and staff to providing home delivery for both Gleaners and Second Helpings. Each day, they pull frozen Second Helpings meals from a semi-trailer donated by Sysco and deliver them to struggling households.
It’s a remarkable partnership with remarkable results. It’s serving home-bound seniors, some of them trying to care for grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, disabled veterans, and individuals returning from hospitalization who need support. All are getting access to the nutritious food they need to help them through this crisis.
As we continue to progress through the coming weeks and months of this pandemic, we can all rest assured that no one will need to be alone, isolated and hungry.