Have you ever volunteered with Million Meal Movement and wondered where, exactly, all those meals go? You see the boxes filled and the pallets carted off, but what happens to them after that? The short answer is that they are picked up by food banks and hunger relief organizations around Indiana to be distributed to area food pantries. The long answer is that there is always a story behind the final destination of each and every meal you help pack, and it often involves heeding a call for help. We thought you might like to hear just a sampling of these stories that occurred in November.
On November 4 we hosted a pack with Gene B. Glick Company at their Indianapolis headquarters. If you live in Indiana, you’re probably familiar with the Glick name. But did you know that the Glick company is dedicated to the acquisition, development and preservation of quality affordable housing in the United States? Glick employees and their families packed 24,000 meals on a Saturday morning. These meals were then delivered to local Glick affordable housing properties for distribution to residents. We love seeing this powerful example of corporate social responsibility come full circle.
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana issued a plea for donations in mid-November. Second Harvest experienced a food shortage and found themselves about 10 semi-loads short on “dry inventory” (the canned and boxed food grocery shoppers would find in the middle of the store). We were able to answer the call with a delivery of enough meals to feed 20,000 families of 4.
Our focus is always fighting hunger at home here in Indiana, but the suffering of our neighbors in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico following devastating hurricanes this fall weighed heavy on our hearts. Our partners at Midwest Food Bank delivered meals packed this fall and at the Million Meal Marathon to these regions earlier this fall. Although areas affected by this fall’s hurricanes have begun to rebuild, the work continues and the need is still great. Thanks to meals that were packed by Kightlinger & Gray, Dow employees and our Thanksgiving Day pack participants, we were able to donate additional meals to Puerto Rico through Midwest Food Bank. They are sending our meals, along with buckets for water filtration systems, air mattresses, tarps, and shop vacs to Puerto Rico this week.
If you helped us pack meals in November or made a donation on Giving Tuesday, YOU made it possible for us to heed these calls for help and many others. Thank you for your continued support!