Last Thursday was a day most of us will likely never forget. While Second Helpings had planned for weeks for the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak, like everyone else in our society, even with plans in place, we were in untested waters.

For more than two decades our charitable sector has stood up to the challenge to try to fill the gaps and address food insecurity where federal assistance fell short. We built new programs, partnerships and delivery systems to increase the number of meals available to those who need them and to get those meals where they were needed most.

But COVID-19 is a challenge unlike any our sector has faced before.

Traditional disaster relief models rely on the ability to mobilize large numbers of volunteers, spur corporate philanthropy and deliver meals in congregate settings. These things don’t work in the face of a virus where our best defense is to stay home, and many businesses are struggling to survive.

You may have heard me say that for many children in our city, school is their primary source of food. When schools were closed, so were school-based pantries and weekend backsack programs were also disrupted.

Most amazing to me is that Thursday was just 4 days ago. Because in those 4 days I have seen remarkable things including collaboration, risk taking and a sense of urgency unlike anything I have seen before in our community. Decisions that once took months are now made in a matter of hours.

Our hunger relief partners worked long hours throughout the weekend with schools, public officials, businesses and other community-based organizations to adapt our service models to minimize contact and replace congregate meals with family-style meals to go. Together, we are experimenting with new ideas to bring more food assistance closer to where children and families live.

At Gleaners, the Community Cupboard food pantry was transformed into a drive-through which is a model that you will now see adopted at other pantries around our city.

Midwest Food Bank and Salvation Army have enacted emergency measures so that they can bring more food to our community.

The Indy Hunger Network staff have scrambled to keep the Community Compass app up to date amidst constant change and are posting updates to pantry and meal site availability on the IHN website multiple times each day.

At Meals on Wheels, careful protocols are in place to ensure that meals are delivered to seniors contact-free, to protect those most vulnerable to this virus.

And at Second Helpings we not only pivoted from congregate meals to take home meals in a matter of hours, but we are exploring a temporary satellite operation that can dramatically increase our capacity to provide prepared meals to families who need them.

We will experiment. We will take risks. And we will likely try some things that won’t work. But I am confident that we will adapt and recover just as quickly. Indeed, words like “adapt” and “pivot” have become the hallmark of nearly every food discussion.

But our hunger relief partners haven’t done this alone. As we planned for how we would address this outbreak, the Marion County Public Health Department staff were extraordinarily responsive to ensure that Second Helpings could continue to provide nutritious meals to children, seniors and families in our community.

We rely on our public sector partners in the Mayor’s office and in the City-County Council to identify resources and open doors and opportunities. And we are secure in the knowledge that as we take risks and stretch resources, organizations like the United Way and the Lilly Endowment have our backs.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to addressing the food needs of our community during this crisis. Our organizations will do all they can, but we still need neighbors helping neighbors as they always have. As we roll out new initiatives, we will still need support and help in identifying where families remain underserved. But please know that we are here and remain committed to serving them.

Jennifer Vigran, CEO
March 16, 2020