Long a center for health in the heart of Indianapolis, IU Health Methodist is now a community hub for food, too.The downtown Indianapolis hospital is expanding its food locker program. Called “The Nutrition Hub,” it launched November of 2023 with a goal of reducing food insecurity.

“We’re six months since opening, and it is opened with a bang,” explained Kristen Kelly, the executive director of quality and safety at IU Health. “We started with referring our patients from our clinics, our high-risk surgical patients. Now, we just recently expanded to our community just a few weeks ago.”

The program now includes anyone who is eligible and interested across the entire 46202 ZIP code. It starts with screening either in-person at the IU Health Academic Health Center at 16th Street and Capitol Avenue or with a call to 211. The expansion marks a milestone in a concept that started years ago.

“This was five years of planning with our partners the American Heart Association, Gleaners (Food Bank), Purdue, and the IU School of Medicine,” said Kelly. “And we came together and planned really talking to our patients and community to see what it would take.”

Kelly says the program is truly unique in its design, but it represents a growing trend across healthcare of innovating and supporting preventative care programs. In the case of the Nutrition Hub, that includes empowering people to choose the food they need, rather than being limited by the selections of others.

“You can click the foods that you love that are important to your family,” says Kelly. “You can select them, and Gleaners will pick them out and put them in the locker for you. They’re stored chilled or frozen. You can swing by in and out in under five minutes.”

This story is part of WISH-TV’s Focus on Food commitment to improve access to healthy food through resources, recipes, and more.

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Nonprofit Second Helpings has rescued 50 million pounds of food, according to an announcement made Wednesday.

The organization aims to combat hunger in central Indiana with sustainable practices. That 50 million pounds of food saved equates to preventing the emissions from more than 13,000 cars driven by one person in a year.

As a part of their Food Rescue Program, they collect food items from spots all over the city and its surrounding areas and transform them into meals to be distributed.

“Food rescue is everything to us,” Jon Meinert, food rescue and transportation director, said Wednesday. “It’s picking up surplus from something as small as a Chick-Fil-A restaurant, on up to working with the Colts, and Pacers, and Ruoff (Music Center), and everything in between.”

After picking up that surplus, the food is processed in their kitchen and then distributed all throughout the city. Oftentimes, 5,000 meals a day are given away to women, children and older people.

Second Helpings’ local approach has helped it reach the milestone number in 25 years, but they are already looking toward their next goal.

CEO Linda Broadfoot said Wednesday, “I am willing to bet it will take half that time to rescue the next 50 million pounds of food.”

The organization also received an $100,000 grant from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation to continue the program’s growth.

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WISH-TV is committed to focusing on family and the community, and that includes working to make sure every family gets healthy meals. One aspect of nutrition that many don’t think about is how it can play a role in patient healing.

Nancy Strange, a senior clinical dietician at IU Health Methodist Hospital’s Comprehensive Wound Center, joined News 8 on Daybreak to discuss how nutritional deficiencies can be identified and dealt with.

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The local nonprofit Faith, Hope and Love recently announced a significant addition to its curriculum aimed at enhancing community health. FHL President Merlin Gonzales stopped by to chat with News 8’s Jeremy Jenkins about the nonprofit’s new initiative. The program emphasizes the crucial role of nutrition in promoting overall health and expediting recovery from illness. Notably, FHL aims to broaden its food inventory to accommodate specific dietary needs such as renal issues and gluten-free diets.

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WISH-TV is committed to focusing on family and the community. That includes working to make sure every family gets to enjoy healthy meals.Every single day hundreds of thousands of people across central Indiana go hungry.

Sarah Estell, chief communications and advocacy officer from Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, joined Daybreak to speak more on the fight against food insecurity in our community.

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WISH-TV, as a cornerstone of the Central Indiana community, is dedicated to fostering bonds and supporting the local community.

One of the issues it addresses is the prevalence of hunger among families, a challenge that affects hundreds of thousands in the region daily.

In response to this pressing concern, WISH-TV is proud to launch its” Focus on Food” initiative.

Life.Style.Live! is proud to support, and has taken a proactive stance in launching “Focus on Food Fridays”.

Each week, viewers are invited to tune in to discover a wealth of resources aimed at alleviating hunger and promoting nutrition.

From wholesome, budget-friendly recipes to discussions on food accessibility, the program equips individuals with the tools and knowledge needed to make a difference.

The initiative extends beyond mere awareness, encouraging active participation in the fight against hunger.

By fostering a sense of collective responsibility, Focus on Food Fridays addresses the importance of community engagement and issues like food scarcity.

Through collaborative partnerships, WISH-TV and its supporters aspire to create a ripple effect of compassion and generosity, touching the lives of families far and wide.

Together, we can make a difference—one meal, one family at a time.

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