Over the last 25 years, Second Helpings has rescued over 49 million pounds of food and distributed nearly 19 million meals in central Indiana. And we’ve surpassed 1,000 graduates of our Culinary Job Training program. We truly couldn’t do this work without our community of support.
Our work over the past 25 years is only possible thanks to you and the community that rallies around us. And while we’ll keep fighting to reduce the need, we are ready to keep working for the next 25 years and beyond.
As a result of our strategic planning process, this is some of what you can expect to see:
Over the next few years, we’ll get increasingly deliberate about gathering and responding to feedback from partners, donors, volunteers, staff, and those who eat our food. We’ll make sure our processes are as efficient and effective as possible and that our facility is sufficient for us to meet the growing needs of our community. We’ll see an increased focus on community engagement and outreach, so that we can ensure that we can continue to meet the community’s needs well into the future. And we’ll lean into the environmental sustainability side of our work, making sure that we’re doing everything we can to lessen our environmental impact while also calculating and sharing the ecological benefits of all we do.
Our team has moved into implementing the goals and strategies outlined below, and there will inevitably be changes on the horizon. Everything we do has always been, and always will be, with an eye toward serving as many people as possible in the best way possible. And importantly, we are striving to meet the community’s needs as defined by the community itself.
Second Helpings’ Vision & Mission Statements
Our Vision
We envision a community where everyone has enough nourishing food and ample opportunities to thrive.
Our Mission
We address hunger today and build self-sufficiency to prevent hunger tomorrow.
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Belonging Statement
At Second Helpings, we believe that everyone deserves access to healthy and nutritious food, and an equitable opportunity to access the resources and support they need to thrive, regardless of their background or identity. We recognize that historically marginalized communities have been disproportionately affected by systemic barriers and inequalities, including food insecurity and poverty. We are committed to creating a more just and equitable community. Our differences make us stronger and we are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging where everyone feels valued, supported, and respected. We can only achieve this goal through ongoing intentionality, education, and collaboration.
2023-2025 Goals
Program Delivery
Continue to enhance and innovate Second Helping programs to meet customer and community needs.
Operational Effectiveness
Enhance the operations of Second Helpings to meet our future needs.
Awareness
Increase awareness of our programs and community impact.
Environmental Sustainability
Demonstrate and contribute to efforts that have a positive environmental impact.
Click the boxes below to read the strategies around each of our goals.
Goal 1 – Program Delivery: Continue to enhance and innovate Second Helping programs to meet customer and community needs.
We remain committed to continuously enhancing and innovating our Second Helping programs in response to the evolving needs of our diverse customers and the wider community. We recognize the importance of staying attuned to their preferences, challenges, and aspirations.
Strategy 1: Recognize, acknowledge, and address hunger-related needs in our community.
By leveraging data in our community, we can gain valuable insights into the specific hunger-related needs in our community. Everyone deserves access to healthy and nutritious food, and an equitable opportunity to access the resources and support they need to thrive, regardless of their background or identity. Our goal is to identify gaps and take proactive measures to fill them when possible. Armed with more comprehensive data, we can develop and implement a targeted plan that effectively addresses the specific needs of our community, especially those that are disproportionately affected by hunger and poverty.
Strategy 2: Prioritize understanding the needs of the people we serve.
We can provide nutritious meals and aspire to meet the specific dietary requirements whenever possible of the individuals we serve. To achieve this, we will actively collaborate with experts in our community who specialize in nutrition. By leveraging their expertise, we can do our best to ensure that the food we provide is optimally nutritious, meeting the diverse needs of our beneficiaries.
Strategy 3: Create capacity for innovation in our daily work.
Our objective is to establish a framework for innovation that facilitates the generation of potential ideas. This framework could encompass a stage of incubation, enabling us to explore and refine these ideas to identify their compatibility with our mission.
Strategy 4: Strengthen and expand existing workforce development initiatives.
Our focus is on strengthening and expanding our current workforce development initiatives, recognizing their critical role in empowering individuals and driving positive change in our community. Furthermore, we recognize the importance of seeking out innovative programs to further broaden our offerings. By exploring new approaches and cutting-edge strategies, we can continuously evolve and stay at the forefront of workforce development.
Strategy 5: Provide the best possible customer service experience for our partners, meal recipients, students, and graduates.
We rely on our partners to deliver food to the individual consumer. We currently work with our partners to understand what they need from Second Helpings to advance the partnership. We can reach out to those who do not currently work with us to determine what they need to partner with us. We can make similar efforts with students, graduates, and potential students, to understand how we can best serve them.
Goal 2 – Operational Effectiveness: Enhance the operations of Second Helpings to meet our future needs.
As we look to the future, we are committed to enhancing the operations of Second Helpings to effectively meet our evolving needs and ensure the continued success of our mission.
Strategy 1: Ensure our staff have a fulfilling employee experience where everyone feels a sense of belonging and empowerment.
We are dedicated to creating a work environment where our staff members has a fulfilling employee experience, fostering a sense of belonging, empowerment, and professional growth. By prioritizing the well-being and satisfaction of our employees, we can build a cohesive and motivated team that is committed to achieving our organizational goals.
Strategy 2: Provide avenues for continuous improvement in operational processes.
We can engage in process improvement initiatives for a variety of workflows. This will include development of current-state maps and documenting future-state processes. We can evaluate and define our needs to meet the goals of future-state processes, including but not limited to, flow of materials, facilities, development, volunteers, technology/software, and finances.
Strategy 3: Elevate our volunteer experience.
To ensure the retention of our valuable volunteer workforce, we will focus on redefining their roles and maximizing their existing skill sets, allowing each shift to be meaningful and fulfilling.
We will attract dedicated volunteers, retain their commitment, and create a vibrant and impactful volunteer community that is proud to be part of our organization.
Strategy 4: Implement methods to improve food intake, preparation, and delivery.
We are committed to implementing effective methods that improve food intake, preparation, and delivery to ensure that individuals in need receive nutritious meals in a timely and efficient manner.
Goal 3 – Awareness: Increase awareness of our programs and community impact.
Increasing awareness of our programs and the positive impact we have on the community is a crucial aspect of our organization’s growth and effectiveness. By expanding our outreach efforts, we can engage more stakeholders, attract additional support, and amplify our mission.
Strategy 1: Emphasize our role and brand in the community.
We can create clarity and communicate our unique role in fighting hunger in our community. We can develop a detailed brand strategy which builds upon past strengths and focuses on future impact and success.
Strategy 2: Increase donor engagement and awareness of our unique needs.
Increasing donor engagement and raising awareness of our unique needs, both among food donors and financial donors, is crucial to sustaining our organization’s operations and impact. In order to effectively address the issue of food waste, we educate and actively involve our food donors, supporting them in establishing their own waste reduction processes. By fostering proactive engagement, we can effectively communicate our organization’s food donation requirements to our existing partners, ensuring they understand what items we can accept. We can redouble our focus on growing individual giving as significant potential remains to be realized.
The board can engage donors by actively participating in donor cultivation and stewardship efforts, attending fundraising events, personally thanking donors for their contributions, and leveraging their networks to expand donor reach and engagement.
Strategy 3: Continually build mutually beneficial relationships with community partners.
To fortify our current partnerships, we will adopt a targeted communication strategy tailored specifically to this group. By doing so, we aim to deepen our understanding of the unique needs and requirements of our existing partners. This approach will enable us to foster stronger relationships and enhance collaboration, ultimately leading to more effective and impactful initiatives. We can identify potential partner organizations and reach out to determine if we can meet their needs.
Goal 4 – Environmental Sustainability: Demonstrate and contribute to efforts that have a positive environmental impact.
As an organization, we recognize the importance of environmental stewardship and are committed to demonstrating and contributing to efforts that have a positive impact on the environment. By integrating sustainable practices into our operations, we aim to reduce our ecological footprint, champion environmental justice, and inspire others to join us in creating a more sustainable future.
Strategy 1: Establish goals and track the progress of sustainability performance metrics.
We need to baseline our sustainability performance by documenting and inventorying sustainability practices we have tried. We need to take stock of what we have done and the efficacy of our actions. Once we baseline our current sustainability performance, we can set goals and targets for future work.
Strategy 2: Ensure our operations are as sustainable as possible.
To maximize the sustainability of our operations, it is essential that we gather additional information to determine the most appropriate course of action within the context of our organization. This involves understanding the risk and reward ratio associated with new innovations. Once we establish the course of action, implement new sustainability measures as appropriate.
Strategy 3: Articulate and communicate existing sustainability actions.
Second Helpings is actively engaged in various sustainability efforts that align with our commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility. We can share how sustainability relates to our mission with our stakeholders including how food waste and rescue relates to sustainability. We can help our staff, volunteers, and partners to tell the story of sustainability.
Strategic Plan Metrics
Partnership Quality Score
Increase in Workforce Training Completers
Staff Satisfaction Rate
Rate (%) of Volunteer Shifts Filled
Donor Retention Rate
Sustainability Metric TBD
If you have questions about our strategic plan or ideas to share, reach out to our team at info@secondhelpings.org.