God’s Bounty has been a Gleaners network partner since 2011.
Members of our team, including President & CEO Fred Glass, recently had an excellent day of visits with some of our esteemed network partners in Marion County.
The purpose of these visits is to connect with our network partners, ask for feedback on the partnership, see the different pantries and distributions, and learn about what our network partners are seeing in their communities.
The theme of the visit was clear: connecting people through food! This is more than connecting network partners with neighbors and connecting neighbors to wrap-around service providers. It is about connecting neighbors with neighbors.
All of the partners we visited voiced the importance of providing opportunities for neighbors to have quality, face-to-face time with each other. They know life can be very isolating for some neighbors. When you spend majority of your time struggling to survive, loneliness can creep up and impact you negatively.
All of the partners we visited have a choice-model setup. This allows the network partners to get to know their neighbors and find ways to incorporate social opportunities for them.
Westminster provides a variety of services to neighbors.
Our first stop was Westminster Neighborhood Services on Indianapolis’ east side. Here, we learned about all of the programs they offer to neighbors beyond their on-site food pantry. Westminster also has a mobile food pantry and serves meals through their kitchen. They have a summer youth program and offer services to neighbors who need assistance with addiction recovery, focusing on mental health.
Their amazing staff of eight is supported by a group of dedicated volunteers. They also have a Community Day/Back-to-School Day that gives school supplies to children and supplies haircuts and hair braiding. They voiced a need to give their neighbors a chance to feel pride for where they live and who is in their community.
We also visited Hornet Park in Beech Grove. The joy the staff and volunteers showed in serving neighbors is abundant. They take such pride in their process and emphasize to neighbors who may not need their services that their involvement is instrumental in getting services to those who do need them. Caring for one another is a community-wide effort. Supplying recipes, craft sacks, and holiday surprises for neighbors are all ways they try to make the experience interactive.
Caring for one another is a community wide effort at Hornet Park.
Next we stopped by God’s Bounty on the southeast side. They emphasize choice in the pantry and have a process for picking orders after neighbors select their options from a menu offered in both English and Spanish. The pantry manager noted they’re seeing an increase in neighbors visiting, and she believes this is due to a lot of the farmland being sold off to housing developers who are building new apartment and single-family neighborhoods, and then families feeling the effects of high rents. God’s Bounty also tries to have clothes available for neighbors and host a community day, which gives neighbors a chance to socialize, voice their needs, and receive food.
The last stop was Glick Resident Success Center at East. With food, clothes, summer camps, cooking classes, and resources like utility assistance and HIV testing, the Success Center is a one-stop spot for neighbors. This beautiful space includes a courtyard and park where Neighbors can gather along with a community garden that produces veggies that they use in their pantry and kitchen.
It’s always an impactful experience meeting with our network partners and getting a glimpse at how the passionate people who run the pantries are fighting hunger each day. They play a leading role in reaching the Gleaners vision: Food for every table; Empower every future.
