Focus on Food

The Patachou Foundation in Indianapolis, now rebranded as 'A Longer Table', expands its mission beyond addressing childhood hunger. Emil Ekiyor discusses the foundation's new focus on creating a sustainable food system by supporting local chefs, restaurants, and providing food career training for high schoolers. The initiative aims to tackle food deserts and promote healthy living while enabling a...

The Community Health Network is looking to sprout new gardeners at its farm in Anderson . The health group teamed up with Bloom Madison County — a nonprofit focused on addressing food insecurity in the area. This growing season, they started two garden clubs — the Bloomers and the Seedlings. The Bloomers club is made up of adults looking to pick up gardening. While the Seedlings club is oriented t...

The All-Vegan Indianapolis Philly is a unique offering from Black Leaf Vegan , featuring a special mozzarella vegan sauce, onions, and peppers, providing a healthy yet filling option for fairgoers that is soy-free and gluten-free. Owned by Derrick and Taria Slack, Black Leaf Vegan is a vendor at the State Fair that has received a Health First Indiana grant from the Marion County Health Department,...

Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the return of its largest fundraiser, Dancing with Our Stars, on Sept. 4 at Embassy Suites in Noblesville. The event, sponsored by Community Health Network, features local professional dancers paired with Hamilton County celebrities competing for the title of Dancing with Our Stars Champions 2025. Audience members can vote...

We all want to feed our families fresh, healthy foods, but some items in your kitchen may be doing more harm than good. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says tens of millions of Americans get sick from contaminated food every year, including food labeled organic. Last year alone, food recalls tied to E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria jumped by 41%, while related hospitalizations and...

Deandrea Rayner addressed food insecurity in Indianapolis by establishing the  Indy Community Pantry , which launched in 2020 and has since expanded to include five dry-goods pantries and three community refrigerators throughout the city. The initiative started with Rayner filling old boxes with food. Still, the demand quickly outpaced the supply, prompting her to expand the project with the...

Tulip Tree Creamery , an artisan cheese company based in Indianapolis, has achieved international recognition with its Nightshade cheese winning a Super Gold Award at the 2024-2025 World Cheese Awards in Viseu, Portugal. The prestigious award places Nightshade among the top 2% of cheeses globally, as only 104 Super Golds were awarded out of 4,786 entries from 47 countries. This accolade highlights...

The Partnership for a Healthier America has launched the Good Good Food campaign in Indianapolis, aiming to increase access to fresh, healthy food. The effort kicked off with a midweek event on Monument Circle, marking Indianapolis as part of a coalition to double the consumption of produce by 2030. As part of the launch, PHA awarded $10,000 grants to eight local organizations in Indianapolis to h...

Bearing a bumper crop of basil, rosemary, and sage, Community Health Registered Dietician Carole Corder delivers a savory message: Eat more herbs and spices. Corder contends there are several benefits from her spicy suggestions. The first upside is added flavor without the dangers of salt, the most popular seasoning. Many herbs and spices carry powerful benefits for the body. “Herbs are high in vi...

Fred Glass, head of Gleaners Food Bank , gave a stark warning about proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which could lead to a humanitarian and economic disaster in Indiana and across the country. The proposed cuts are part of the President’s spending proposal and involve a $300 billion reduction in SNAP funding, with Indiana facing a potential loss of $353 millio...

Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana on Thursday had a ceremonial opening for the Tom and Julie Wood Family Resource Center on Waldemere Avenue. The center was designed to expand Gleaners’ services to include legal aid, a pharmacy, and a medical clinic. The resource center aims to support the 4,000 families the food bank serves monthly, addressing food insecurity and providing additional resources to imp...

The Indy Health District is launching a Floating Farmers Market to bring nutritious food options to underserved neighborhoods, starting May 30 at 21st and Capitol. The Floating Farmers Market will rotate among five neighborhoods within the Indy Health District, which currently lacks grocery stores. This initiative aims to improve access to healthy food, education and mental health resources. The I...

Hunger relief advocates on Wednesday said they’re already seeing more working families at food pantries even without changes to food stamp eligibility. David Bethuram, executive director of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ Catholic Charities branch, said the archdiocese’s food pantry on Illinois Street has seen a roughly 40% increase in foot traffic in the past 18 months. About 50 families use the...

During National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Wish TV highlighted the nutritional benefits of potatoes for active families. Sports dietitian and nutrition expert Kelly Jones explained that potatoes are a high-quality carbohydrate that provides essential nutrients such as potassium, vitamin C, fiber, and protein. With their nutritional benefits and versatility in recipes, potatoes can be a val...

Indiana state government has canceled a summer groceries program for families with kids . The decision has raised concerns about food security for families. Last summer, some Hoosier families a crucial boost of $120 per child for grocery assistance while schools were closed. It benefited around 669,000 children. Groceries purchased with SUN Bucks could be paired with free summer meals and meal-to-...

With soaring prices and many varieties of eggs, you want to make sure you’re getting what you think you’re paying for. Consumer Reports deciphers those confusing egg labels and explains what they mean. Cage-free means that the hens are not kept in cages, but it doesn’t mean they’re clucking around in the fresh air and sunshine. They can still be kept indoors, often in crowded conditions. An organi...

Volunteers with Bank of America on Tuesday rolled up their sleeves to fight food insecurity right here in Indiana. It’s all part of the Million Meal Initiative. Fifty volunteers gathered at an office near 96th Street and College Avenue to pack more than 5,000 casserole meals to feed hungry families. The co-founder of million meals tells us that food insecurity in Indiana is higher than the nationa...

New restrictions on SNAP benefits may increase demand on food banks and the local pantries they fill. The Indy Hunger Network is bracing for the challenge as they already see a higher demand for food banks.  The Indy Hunger Network provides networking opportunities for over 210 food pantries across Indianapolis. They focus on helping established pantries collaborate with other pantries to be...

  A church on the west side of Indianapolis  will soon enter a battle against food insecurity. The congregation on Saturday will celebrate the opening of a food pantry. Over the past six months, church leaders and volunteers have partnered with local organizations to gain the skills and resources needed to support families in need, providing them with hope and practical assistance. The I...

March marks National Nutrition Month, highlighting the importance of healthy meals for children both at home and in schools. School nutrition programs play a crucial role in ensuring students receive nutritious meals that support their academic performance and overall well-being. School nutrition programs also alleviate stress for families by reducing the financial burden of providing meals and en...

Many Americans rely heavily on ultra-processed foods, which make up 60% of the average diet, posing potential health risks. Ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, are industrially manufactured items like chips, packaged cookies, and sugary drinks that are high in added sugar and sodium. These foods often contain a long list of chemical ingredients and pack a lot of calories into small servings, making th...

As National Nutrition Month winds down, a local expert urges everyone to think internationally, too. “If you think about it, food is something we all have in common,” Community Health Network Registered Dietitian Elilta Sawyers said. “From traditions to cultures to things that we pass down generation from generation. And so I think it’s important that we understand the benefits that we can all hav...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it is ending two COVID-era programs that help schools and food banks purchase food from local suppliers and expand healthy eating options. The USDA confirmed the cuts to News 8 on Thursday. According to the School Nutrition Association (SNA), around $660 million in funds will be cut from the Local Food for Schools (LFS) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance...

Egg prices are reaching new heights, and many are flocking to another solution. Despite avian influenza leading to the deaths over 6 million birds in Indiana , one farmer says smaller backyard flocks could help to keep a favorite protein on the table. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

An after-school program for aspiring chefs is looking for its next class of students. Applications for this year’s Junior Chef Academy are now open. The Junior Chef Academy is for students 12 to 15 years old. The program was created to combat food insecurity by teaching kids how to work with fresh food. According to Feeding America , one in seven Hoosiers face food insecurity . Lead Chef Ross Katz...