In April I had the privilege of spending some time with Second Helpings and their volunteers. Their motto is “Eliminating Hunger. Empowering People.” and they have a really great model for doing both.
Second Helpings rescues perfectly good food that would otherwise end up in the trash, and turn it into meals for deserving people. Often this is simply food that legally can’t be sold or served because it’s past its “sell by” date. I was able to ride along with Greg to do collections from some of the various food donors. Trader Joe’s, Wild Oats, Starbucks (twice), and St. Vincent’s hospital were some of the places we visited and it really hit me just how much is getting thrown out every day. Later I visited some organizations as meals and other food were delivered.
Below are just a few images from my time with them, but visit their slideshow for more.
These ribeyes aren’t spoiled they just can’t be on the shelves any longer.
Meals are cooked and loaded into trucks for delivery.
The end result is that people get fed. Missions, shelters, daycares and elder care facilities receive much needed hot meals.
In addition to food rescue and meal delivery, Second Helpings also operates a culinary training program that teaches a select group of applicants skills that can lead to jobs. Many of the students come from the same agencies that receive meal support. By giving them this chance and these skills it can lead to careers and better lives.
It takes a lot to collect, catalog, store, prepare and deliver all the food and meals every week, and much of this is done by volunteers. If you’d like to share the love and care that this organization is spreading in Indy, please contact them and volunteer your time to help prepare a meal or whatever they need you to do.