Donations of prepared food from caterers and event centers save valuable time and ingredients at Second Helpings.

A unique facet of Second Helpings’ operations is the ability to safely procure prepared foods from caterers, restaurants, and event centers.

“Being one of the only non-profits with this capability truly sets us apart,” smiles Jon Meinert, Director of Food Rescue and Transportation. Prepared items are particularly well suited for our operations.

When we receive pans of prepared meals, it streamlines an already efficient process – we can package this food and send it right back out to our partner agencies across central Indiana.

In congregate meals alone, Second Helpings prepares 90 pans, of 25 servings each, on an average day. That takes four and a half full tilt skillets to produce, so when making it all from scratch, volunteers and staff prepare 450 pounds of vegetables, 360 pounds of starch (usually pasta or rice), and 338 pounds of protein.

“That’s a lot of chopping power saved when we can use prepared food,” says Caitlin Bartnik, Hunger Relief Manager. “Plus, we get to serve some really fun items that we may not be able to make in house. A frequent pan we get to prepare with rescued food is fried chicken and a vegetable side. We don’t fry food in the Hunger Relief kitchen, but getting fried chicken is fun for our partner agencies and very popular with those they serve.”

502 East Event Centre in Carmel, for example, is one of our top donors of prepared food. In the last six months, they donated more than 16,000 pounds of food to Second Helpings. They have donated more than 120,000 pounds of prepared food since we started working together in 2017.

“Indianapolis has many amazing chefs and top-notch catering companies,” Bartnik says. “When we get to save this deliciously prepared food from being wasted and instead share it with community members who might not have had a ‘fancy’ or expensive meal in a long time, it’s such a unique opportunity as part of Second Helpings’ mission.”

We’re grateful to these companies, who have donated the highest amounts of prepared food in the last six months:

  • 502 East Event Centre
  • JW Marriott
  • Indy Marriott
  • Centerplate at Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium
  • Bullseye Catering
  • Sanctuary on Penn
  • Kahn’s at the Montage
  • Westin Hotel