What Happens When Everything Stops?

What does a nonprofit organization that normally works with over 50,000 students a year across the region do when schools are suddenly closed and our face to face programming is temporarily suspended? We take a step back, evaluate our resources and core competencies and find ways to repurpose our staff and assets where they are needed as our community works to take care of the needs of our fellow residents.

Nine13sports uses a mobile programming model whereby we take bicycles into learning environments (schools, community centers, parks) and use them as learning tools throughout the year. As we’ve grown, this mobile delivery of our Kids Riding Bikes, Kids Building Bikes & ExploreIndy Ride programming has required significant investment over the first 9 years of our organizations history into vehicles and staff – assets that we sidelined as part of efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus in early March 2020. In 2018, we also made a move into a 25,000 sf commercial structure located in the Near Northwest neighborhoods that serves as our Operations Depot.

Because we’ve been so fortunate to receive support from the Indianapolis community over the years, it wasn’t an option for us to sit around and wait for the time when we could begin working with the central Indiana youth again. Instead, we reached out to our partners looking for ways we could help with the phenomenal efforts that are were underway to take care of our most vulnerable neighbors across the region. Our offer of assistance came at the perfect time for the Indy Hunger Network, Gleaners Food Bank & Second Helpings.

As a result, our team started to provide logistical support for initiatives led by these organizations to ensure efficient food distribution to food pantries, other agencies that started temporary food pantry operations, as well individuals across the city that are unable to leave their homes.

As our Home and Agency Delivery initiatives continue month after month our promise to our partners has been “We will keep doing this as long as there is a need.” Nine13 Logistics was created as the newest division of Nine13 Inc. and specializes in creating and implementing complex operational solutions to address the needs of our customers.