This morning we were honored to have Governor and Mrs. Pence working in our Hunger Relief kitchen alongside our Wednesday volunteers.
Second Helpings has always been of our community, for our community. It is a place where people of all faiths, ideologies, and walks of life are welcomed and come together to serve those in need. To have a future Vice President of the United States join the ranks of our volunteers is a new and extraordinary honor for Second Helpings.
Over the years Second Helpings has hosted elected officials and lawmakers from across the political spectrum. In those moments we have the opportunity to not only draw attention to Second Helpings’ mission, but also to share our experiences from 18 years of fighting food waste, hunger and poverty in Central Indiana. Regardless of political affiliation, we welcome the interest of all political candidates, elected officials and policy-makers, and our message to all those who visit us is the same.
For nearly two decades we have worked together to step up to the challenges before us. Poverty in our city continues to threaten our children and our community’s future. Nearly one in three children in Marion County lives in poverty, compared to 20.4% nationally. When we talk about delivering 4,000 meals a day or one million meals prepared annually by our volunteers, the numbers can seem overwhelming. But the impact is in what one meal means to a senior forced to choose between prescriptions and food, to a child who otherwise would not eat dinner that night, to a homeless family trying to rebuild their lives. Poverty and hunger aren’t just a number, they’re personal.
Despite the work of hundreds of volunteers and efforts to continue to expand Second Helpings’ capacity, we are but a piece of a larger mosaic of hunger relief partners and programs that come together to serve our communities. Indianapolis is a national leader in the collaborative efforts of our not for profit hunger relief partners. We know that takes the work of all of us together, food banks like Gleaners and Midwest, pantries like St. Vincent de Paul and Boulevard Place, Meals on Wheels, and so many others to address hunger among our neighbors. Most surprising of all perhaps is that despite the good works of all of these organizations, our not for profit and faith communities only provide 10% of the hunger relief resources in our community. The remainder comes from USDA nutritional programs like school lunch, SNAP (food stamps), and the critical nutrition provided for pregnant women, infants and toddlers by WIC. These programs together fulfill needs far beyond those that our not for profit and faith communities have the capacity to address on their own.
In the coming year we will continue to work with our agency partners and community leaders to identify opportunities where Second Helpings’ unique resources can play a significant role in addressing hunger and poverty. We all need to embrace these community conversations and collaborative efforts if we are truly to build a better future for our city.
The work of Second Helpings is critical to the missions and success of the 85 other not for profit organizations we serve. Whether it is meals from the Hunger Relief kitchen, or students working to rebuild their futures in the Culinary Job Training program, the impact of Second Helpings mission is making a real and personal difference for children, seniors and families in need each and every day.
As you gather tomorrow with family and friends to give thanks, please know that thousands of others will be giving thanks for the nourishment and opportunity that your generosity has brought to their lives.
Thank you as always for your support and best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season.