Get involved

Ways to Fight Hunger in Central Indiana: Volunteer, Donate & Host a Food Drive

Volunteer Donate

Quick answer

You can fight hunger in central Indiana in three main ways: volunteer your time at Gleaners Food Bank, donate money, or host a virtual food drive. Because Gleaners can turn a single dollar into up to $9 retail dollars through bulk purchasing, financial gifts often go the furthest. In 2025, about 12,700 volunteers gave more than 64,000 hours, providing over 15 million meals. You can also advocate on behalf of people facing hunger by following Gleaners on social media and sharing content.

Volunteer

Sort and pack food, support distributions, and help behind the scenes. Individuals, families, and groups welcome.

Browse Shifts

Donate

Give one time, monthly, or through planned giving. One dollar becomes up to $9 in retail food value.

Give Now

Host a food drive

Rally your workplace, school, faith community, or neighborhood, in person or with a virtual drive.

Start a Drive

Volunteer

Volunteers are essential to Gleaners' work: sorting and packing food, supporting food distributions, and helping behind the scenes. Individuals, families, and groups can all sign up, and corporate teams often volunteer together. You can browse shifts and register through Gleaners' volunteer portal at gleaners.org/volunteer.

12,700

volunteers in 2025

64,000+

hours given

15M+

meals provided

Donate

Financial donations are one of the most effective ways to help, because a food bank's buying power stretches each dollar much further than retail. You can give one time, set up a recurring monthly gift, contribute through planned giving, or explore corporate and foundation partnerships.

Host a food drive

Food drives rally your workplace, school, faith community, or neighborhood around a shared goal. Gleaners also offers virtual food drives, where supporters contribute online (an easy, contactless way to multiply impact without collecting and transporting physical cans).

Advocate

Beyond time and money, you can advocate for policies that reduce hunger. Gleaners shares ways for supporters to lend their voice on issues affecting food security across Indiana. Text Advocate to 91018 to join our list.

The impact you help create

Community support is what makes Gleaners' reach possible. Working with roughly 300 partner agencies across 21 counties, Gleaners helped distribute more than 100 million meals in 2025, a scale only achievable with volunteers, donors, and partners pulling together.