Gleaners is food pantries' secret weapon - Batesville Herald Tribune

Gleaners is food pantries' secret weapon - Batesville Herald Tribune

When people are poor, hunger and health care are their most urgent needs "and in some ways those are the most connected," believes John Elliott, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Indianapolis, president and CEO, who stopped in Batesville Dec. 1 to chat with food pantry officials here.

"Our mission is simple and direct: To lead the fight against hunger," says a brochure about the nonprofit, which serves 21 central and southeast Indiana counties, including Franklin, Ripley, Decatur and Rush. Gleaners provides food assistance to more than 260,000 people – one in eight Hoosiers in the service area. Nearly half are children and seniors.

Batesville Area Ministerial Association Pantry co-coordinator Anne Baran remembers getting free commodities from the Southeast Indiana Economic Development Corp., Aurora. About seven years ago, the provider switched to Gleaners.

The organization "gives us a lot of free USDA products," such as cranberry juice, canned pork, peanut butter and applesauce. "Plus we have the opportunity to purchase from them at reduced prices. We do it every month." The types of food items that are free or sold at reduced prices vary. Frozen chicken leg quarters or ground beef could be free if offered as a USDA item or for purchase.

Pantry leaders spend on average $1,500 monthly by ordering from Gleaners online. That may sound like a big food bill, but "we spend more than that locally" at stores each month to feed the hungry here.

How is Gleaners food delivered? "It's a really slick system," says the 10-year volunteer. "They generally deliver to the Ziegler plant at Hill-Rom for Batesville and Sunman" pantries. "Hill-Rom has several people who volunteer to help us every month." Workers use a forklift to transfer food from the Gleaners truck into an area where it is sorted into Batesville and Sunman piles. Then the forklift sets Batesville food into a Hill-Rom truck, which zooms to the pantry location within the Batesville Area Resource Center. Sunman pantry volunteers send a truck to transport their items.

The CEO explains that Ripley County's population and food insecurity percentage are smaller than other counties', but there still are hungry people (please see box). A backsack program supported by the Ripley County Community Foundation is "geared toward students who would not otherwise have access to food from lunch Friday through breakfast Monday." Because sometimes parents are away at work or not supervising mealtimes on weekends, backsack items must be in containers kids can open and foods must be ready to eat with no preparation required.

"We've hired a dietitian" who will offer nutrition classes and advise how to get more nutritious foods in the hands of clients. Elliott wants to have her do focus groups with youth to discover "foods that kids will actually eat" over the weekend.

"We have an amazing, hardworking, dedicated team at Gleaners ... and yet we've done some things recently to try and enhance that. We're a staff of 75 plus 33,000 volunteers" at the Gleaners Indianapolis warehouse who sort food items, handle logistics, pack backsacks, work in the pantry and get trucks ready.

"We're also a regional disaster response site for Feeding America." If a tornado, earthquake or other catastrophe hits the Midwest, Gleaners will be tasked with feeding victims.

This year the nonprofit became the third of eight U.S. produce distribution centers for the hungry. Testing began in May with a full launch in November. He marvels, "Truckloads of melons or grapes go out to 39 food banks, including us, in seven states. Sometimes it's surplus, sometimes it's not. We are free to go to local farms and continue to build relationships in Indiana."

How can area residents help feed the hungry? Gleaners leaders prefer monetary donations over canned and packaged food. Persons may donate at http://ift.tt/2nOVtpd or mail tax-deductible checks to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, 3737 Waldemere Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46241.

The president points out, "When we're shopping, we can get more nutritious foods" than some stuff that is donated. In addition, "One dollar can provide three meals when we're buying wholesale," stretching money much farther than donors who purchase foods at retail prices.

Elliott, who started as CEO around Labor Day 2016, says his greatest challenge is upgrading operations of Hoosier pantries. "How do we get to the best possible pantry or local agency model that keeps the passion and commitment and resources of the current pantries, but also facilitates perishable and nonperishable food donations?" A pantry must be open at the right hours for "people who are working, but not making enough to feed their families for the whole month." He also wants local pantry leaders to collaborate with other partners or hunger groups.

Fresh foods must be integrated into selections, Elliott maintains. "Pantries that do not have the capacity to distribute meat, produce and dairy will fall behind."

The leader realizes, "These are individual organizations. It's not appropriate at all for us to try to tell these individual organizations how to operate or what their building should look like. As the mix of food that we have available continues to shift more to a variety of perishable foods, that will naturally drive a need for more of that capacity in the pantries. As we continue to work with more organizations in each community that support the other needs of those families, pantries that have the physical space to support that service will be better positioned that those that don't."

The nonprofit is overseen by four officers and 19 board members, including Chris Lowery, Batesville.

One 2018 goal is "to make sure the funding streams are in good shape. In 2010 – two years after the economy had turned down – that's when we saw the highest number of people ... that was the peak of the food lines. Gleaners along with the other partners in the Indy hunger network made a joint decision to double the number of meals available in central Indiana. We doubled the meals without sufficient revenue to actually do it," using up cash reserves. "2017 was the first year when we balanced our budget again."

His job's best reward is the people – both the folks he works with and those Gleaners helps. On the drive home, Elliott reflects on the day. "There's never a doubt that we've made a difference each day and few people can say that" about their work.

"In the old days, we measured in pounds of loose cans and boxes that came in the back door ... that's what we distributed." He wants to pro-actively influence the mix and quality of food handed out. "As we change the thinking and mindset" about providing healthy foods, "we need to have different conversations in the local communities."

According to the CEO, "In January we'll start a round of more structured county briefings." The gatherings will be "a combination of sharing what Gleaners currently does there and a lot more listening and hearing not just what the challenges are in hunger relief in that county, but the interconnected problems between crime and hunger, hunger and health ..."

He wants to attract the right mix of partners to these gatherings: Gleaners staff, funders, foundations, corporations, local philanthropists, community stakeholders and people who are involved with helping families with other challenges, such as finding jobs or health care.

"We have started a lot of appropriate conversations that are laying the groundwork for productive collaboration toward the newer half of our mission – reduce the number of people in line who are hungry. We do not aspire to do that alone." He knows if Gleaners helps the disadvantaged find jobs or get more education, they won't need to visit pantries.

Debbie Blank can be contacted at debbie.blank@batesvilleheraldtribune.com or 812-934-4343, Ext. 113.

How Gleaners helps hungry in each county

Gleaners fills in the gap between each county's annual funding need and what counties are able to contribute to the nonprofit. The CEO says, "The hope is over time that we get a little bit more in balance, but only if we make the case in terms of need and people step up."

Franklin County

With a 13 percent poverty rate, the annual funding need is $86,052. Gleaners receives $12,346 from Franklin County and spends $73,706. About 264,679 pounds of food are distributed, equating to 220,565 meals.

Backsacks are distributed to 102 children in four elementary schools (annual program cost $20,400). A pantry at Franklin County High School serves approximately 20 students and families each month ($15,000). Summer family meal boxes are distributed weekly to about 17 families ($2,652). A senior mobile pantry serves approximately 100 seniors each month ($24,000). Another mobile pantry serves about 90 families monthly ($24,000).

Ripley County

With an 8 percent poverty rate, the annual funding need is $39,300. Gleaners receives $16,722 from Ripley County and spends $22,578. About 360,037 pounds of food are distributed, equating to 300,030 meals.

Backsacks are distributed to 102 children in three elementary schools (annual program cost $20,400). A pantry at South Ripley Junior/Senior High School serves nearly 26 students and their families each month ($15,000). Summer family meal boxes are distributed weekly to about 37 families ($3,900).