Helping the community get health food
In addition to distributing food, the Avondale Meadows YMCA and Gleaners Food Bank also made a concerted effort to provide health food options to the community. This included fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. The program aimed to not only provide food to those in need but also to ensure that the food was nutritious and would contribute to the health and well-being of the community.
To further promote healthy eating habits, the program also offered cooking demonstrations and nutrition education sessions. These sessions were led by trained professionals who provided guidance on how to prepare healthy meals on a budget and make the most out of the food provided.
By prioritizing health food options and nutrition education, the program aimed to not only address hunger but also to promote overall health and wellness in the community. The partnership between the Avondale Meadows YMCA and Gleaners Food Bank demonstrates the importance of addressing food insecurity and promoting healthy eating habits in communities across the country.
For the last couple of years, the Avondale Meadows YMCA has partnered with Gleaners to distribute food to thousands of families in the community. This past summer the program ran from June 1 – August 31, 2022. The program served 216,993 meals to 6,313 households with a value of over $466,000.
Volunteers helped answer the call for health food in the community
“With such a big need, we called on our very own YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, all Center locations to help get the job done. In addition to 67 YMCA volunteers, we were able to fill 52 more spots from members in the community,” said Patricia Officer, Member Involvement Specialist at Avondale Meadows YMCA. “In just three short months we were able to provide 260,392 lbs. of food. We are so grateful to be able to do this work.”
Food wasn’t the only service offered
Although health food was the main draw, some participants accepted our offer to pray for them. Pastor Rose was on duty extending “drive-through prayers” to anyone open to receiving the offer.
“Some requested prayers for things in our society such as the lack of love among people. There were also prayer requests for peace in our world, the end of COVID-19, political unrest, and our polarized society. It was surprising that some people just stopped to pray for me. As time went on, people returned to update me on the status of the prayers prayed. All of the people who stopped were positive, even in the midst of their own “chaos” or the death of loved ones. Even when the people didn’t speak English, they stopped because they understood the power of prayer.” Pastor Steven Rose,
Thanks to our community partners
Twenty organizations joined the Avondale Meadows community to make this event a success and deliver health food to the community, including the following list of partners: Ivy Tech Community College, Marion County Election Board, Shepherd Community Center, Avondale Meadows YMCA, Indianapolis Public Schools/John Marshall and the Indianapolis public safety agencies.
This is important work for Avondale Meadows YMCA and the community and they plan to continue this work next year and into the future.
