Home Delivery Team

Throughout the COVID 19 pandemic there were a multitude of food banks, agencies and community centers that stepped up to serve as distribution points for local residents who had the means to drive there and pick up food. However shortly after the pandemic began the Indy Hunger Network was receiving an increasing number of calls from those who were unable to take advantage of these opportunities because they were in quarantine, self-isolation or did not have transportation to be able to get there.

Because our in-school programming had temporarily been suspended, we formulated a plan to repurpose our four Sprinter vans that are typically used to move our bicycle equipment around central Indiana for direct to household food delivery of Gleaners Family Meal Boxes. We delivered these boxes of non-perishable food items, along with boxes of mixed fresh produce and USDA Family Combo Boxes that contain dairy, meat, fruit and vegetables. Additionally, for those that needed it, we also were able to deliver frozen pre-prepared meals supplied by Second Helpings.

Think Amazon Prime Next Day delivery, but in the spirit of helping your fellow Indianapolis resident. After an individual made the call to request food, our Nine13sports staff were teamed up in pairs, loaded up a van and within 24 hours they made a no contact delivery to the family in need. We implemented safety and sanitation policies to ensure that everyone involved stayed healthy and safe and over time optimized our processes that increased our delivery capacity to over 250 households per day.

This home delivery initiative continues to be one of the ways Nine13 Logistics solves logistical support problems for community organizations here in Indy.