INDIANAPOLIS — A nonprofit organization is inviting Hoosiers to dinner to address the problem of food insecurity on the far east side of Indianapolis.
In a three-mile radius near East 38th Street and Mitthoeffer Road, 85,000 people live in an area without a single grocery store to be found.
"To get a visual for people to imagine, Bloomington, Indiana, without a grocery store. It would never exist," said Kendra Nowell, with the Community Alliance of the Far East Side (CAFE).
Twenty percent of Indianapolis residents live in a similar kind of area, an area known as a food desert, where access to fresh food is more than a mile away and not easy to reach.
"Transportation is a barrier and not always easy," Nowell said, explaining she sees people every day, like 73-year-old Donna Jackson, who comes to CAFE for a daily senior lunch.
Jackson hasn’t lived near a grocery store in years.
"They’ve been gone. They’ve been gone. That Kroger, when it left out, that was the closest thing," Jackson said, remembering the grocery stores that used to be nearby, but not anymore.
It’s the same story for Ida Brown.
"I used to live at 46th and Arlington, and there was a Kroger there where I could shop, and they moved that one out," Brown said.
"Not only is there a lack of grocery stores in this area, there’s a lack of financial institutions for the community here," said Danny Leckie, with Hatch for Hunger, a nonprofit started by Elanco Animal Health CEO Jeff Simmons and his wife.
Hatch for Hunger provides protein to food banks across the country, including here in Indianapolis.
Its next venture will be hosting community dinners on the far east side, bringing people to the dinner table — literally — to address food deserts and food insecurity in the area.
"This is just the beginning. It’s not a swoop-in and be a savior. This is a long-term investment to solve a problem that’s been perpetuated for years," Leckie said.
That investment kicks off this Thursday night. An empty gym at the CAFE headquarters will soon be filled with tables, families, food and community partners.
"We’re expecting about 150 people, including the families and volunteers and employees from Hatch and CAFE," said Jayden Turner, with Hatch for Hunger.
Turner led the community dinner project for Hatch for Hunger.
"Going to have a good dinner. Fried chicken, pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and a garden salad," Turner said, listing the menu. "Nothing like a good dinner with the people you love."
People like Donna Jackson and Ida Brown, people who call the far east side home and want a seat at the table at future community dinners or otherwise. A seat they hope will come with a voice when it comes to deciding how to make their neighborhoods better and address the problem of the food dessert in which they’re living.
"Just sign us up and we’ll be there," Jackson said.