Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana has received a $150,000 grant from the James M. Cox Foundation to purchase a new tandem-axle refrigerated box truck.
Gleaners has nearly doubled its pre-pandemic distribution of meals to more than 82 million meals in 2021. This increased distribution has strained Gleaners’ aging fleet of box trucks, which already log more than a quarter of a million miles a year. Annually, the trucks incur over $60,000 in maintenance costs, plus current diesel fuel costs have placed an additional $500,000 burden on Gleaners’ annual operating budget.
“The addition of this truck to our fleet will result in our ability to distribute, at minimum, 80,000 additional meals to neighbors in need,” said John Elliott, Gleaners President/CEO. “Because of the expansive area we serve, we rely heavily on our fleet of trucks to transport large volumes of food, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meats and highly desired dairy items.”
The James M. Cox Foundation, the charitable arm of Cox Enterprises, provides support for nonprofit organizations in communities where the company does business. NextGear Capital is a Cox Automotive brand, whose parent company is Cox Enterprises. Since its inception in 2005, NextGear Capital has given back nearly $3 million to local communities and, in 2021, it served 79 local nonprofit organizations despite the social-distancing limitations imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Gleaners Food Bank holds a very special place with NextGear Capital because of the meaningful work they do to feed those in need throughout Indiana,” said Scott Maybee, president of NextGear Capital. “Every year, our teams look forward to volunteering at Gleaners.”
The James M. Cox Foundation and NextGear Capital have provided support to Gleaners for several years. In 2017, the Foundation donated $150,000 to the Gleaners Building Hope campaign to fund the expansion of the organization’s Community Cupboard on-site food pantry. When the pandemic shut down schools and workplaces in 2020, making access to nutritious food even more challenging, the Foundation funded two $25,000 grants that helped the food bank provide up to 125,000 nutritious meals for those in need. In addition, NextGear Capital team members volunteer their time to the food bank, from loading vehicles with food items for families in need to organizing and hosting fundraising events.
Given supply chain issues, delivery of the new truck has been delayed until August. Upon arrival, the truck will be co-branded between Gleaners and NextGear Capital.