Application of Knowledge

By Nicole Koenigsman, Skylar Romasanta, Claire Feeney, Lindsay Tvedt

Wheeler Mission

"To provide Christ-centered programs and services for the homeless and those in need."

Social service organization dedicated to taking a holistic approach to homelessness in Indianapolis by providing services, such as:
- Temporary Emergency Shelters
- Residential Programs
- Addiction Recovery
Provides 315,000+ meals annually

We separated into two different groups to serve meals at the Center for Women and Children and Men's Residential Center
Here, we assisted the kitchen manager with the preparation and serving of dinner as well as the clean up
Many of us had the opportunity to interact with the men and women staying at the Centers

Service at Wheeler Mission highlighted the importance of prior knowledge about poverty and the deprivation trap
Directly serving with people suffering from homelessness gave us a real world illustration of institutionalized discrimination
Allowed us to see the interconnection between homelessness and food insecurity

"Hope. Compassion. Renewal."

Provide Immediate Aid Programs to support people
- Free Pantry and Community Garden
- Free Clothing Store
- Hot Meals
- Pay what you can Preschool

They act as a community center so everyone can come their for the support they need, and to provide the extra help needed to bridge the gaps people face
By focusing on providing people with basic needs and enabling children to have access to a preschool education Fletcher's Place is adding value back into the community to support community development

Our Efforts

Organized and packaged food from the Food Pantry
Organized and supported the Free Clothing Store
Cleaned and completed general maintenance of grounds and facilities
- These seemingly small actions were able to save Fletcher's Place money, and allow the day to day workers to focus on providing aid services.

"Our hope is to bridge the gap between prosperity and poverty in our community."

Midwest Food Bank is a faith based organization that works to alleviate hunger and poverty by gathering and distributing food donations to not-for-profits and disaster sites without cost to the recipients.
They work closely with other nonprofits to distribute food that would otherwise be wasted. Nearly half of the food available for human consumption is thrown out each year.
They place a high value not just on serving their community but serving with their community.

Midwest's volunteers are vital to the smooth, day-to-day operations.
Our group separated to complete two different tasks.
- First - it was a distribution day, so we gathered all the food going to each destination and packed the food into the partner agencies' vehicles.
- Second - some of the food that is donated comes in bulk quantities, so the other group was tasked with repackaging the food into manageable quantities which can then be distributed.

Hunger is real!
Midwest Food Bank served over 3,600,000 people through their 1,300+ partner agencies in 2016
Age Demographics:
- 34% are children 0-12 years of age.
- 48% are 13-64 years of age.
- 18% are seniors, age 65+.
Ethnicity Demographics:
- 42% are Caucasian.
- 32% are Black/African American.
- 10% are Hispanic/Latino.
- 16% identify as some other race.

"Urban Kitchen with a Mission."

Unique, for-profit company that pledges 100% of their profits to The Patachou Foundation, which aims to eliminate food insecurity among children in the Indianapolis community.
Provides 8 elementary schools with fresh, nutritious after-school snacks, alongside a health-education curriculum.

Food Deserts
- The USDA describes food deserts as "parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas."
- Indianapolis, and even areas of Iowa City, are dotted with food deserts; it can happen anywhere to anyone
- People who live in these areas must travel far distances to access healthy food options
- Public Greens helps solve this problem by bringing foods directly to the kids

"To lead the fight against hunger."

Gleaners Food Bank is a leader in the fight against hunger in Indiana by distributing food to 250 partner agencies such as food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters in over 21 Indiana agencies.
Gleaners was founded in 1980 and is a member of Feeding America the nation's food bank network.
They have distributed over 360 million pounds of food and critical grocery products to nearly 600 hunger relief agencies and partners serving the citizens of Indiana.

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