Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Launches the No One Runs on Empty Awareness Campaign with support from the Anthem Foundation

INDIANAPOLIS – Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana is
on the fast track to accelerate awareness of food insecurity throughout Central
Indiana with its new No One Runs on Empty initiative. The campaign is funded by
a $1 million matching grant from the Anthem Foundation and backed by a
partnership with Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport and NTT INDYCAR SERIES
driver Colton Herta. For the upcoming GMR Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500, Herta
will drive the No. 88 Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Honda,
which will display the Gleaners logo, highlight the awareness strategy, and
drive the community to donate at gleaners.org.

John
Elliott, Gleaners President/CEO noted that food insecurity affects many aspects
of life, even for those who may not face the issue themselves. “Food insecurity
is a higher indicator than income for the prevalence of the top 10 chronic
diseases and conditions facing Americans today,” he said. “But it doesn’t stop
there. A food insecure child can have attendance issues and learning
difficulties. A hungry adult may have productivity and attendance issues at
work. Hunger can lead to crime, job loss, increased health costs, homelessness,
and more. We can positively impact both hunger and health outcomes by investing
in the healthiest, most nutritious variety of food possible, and combining our
efforts with health system providers.”

Elliott
noted that COVID-19 and the racial equity and justice movements remind us that
people of color are affected disproportionately by hunger, health, housing,
education and employment crises. “We’ve been challenged by the pandemic to take
a clear look at our organization both as a nonprofit hunger relief
organization, as an employer, and as an amplifier of the voices of disproportionately
impacted communities,” he said.

There
were more than 1 million Hoosiers who are food insecure, with an unacceptable
150 million meal per year gap prior to COVID-19. We all know that number is dramatically
higher now as a result of the pandemic. We also know that minority and rural
populations are suffering disproportionately and will endure a much longer
recovery. Children and senior citizens represent nearly half of those who are
food insecure. Based on data from Feeding America, the current food insecurity
rate in Indiana is 20%, up from 13.3%

No One Runs on Empty is a call to action to educate and engage
Hoosiers by raising awareness of the faces of hunger – including those who are
newly in need. Since mid-March, Gleaners has been distributing nearly 1.5
million meals each week. The awareness campaign is made possible through a generous
gift from the Anthem Foundation.  

For Anthem, the need to take action is vital to help its
communities lead healthier lives. Today, lack of food is one the most pervasive
underlying issues affecting our nation’s well-being and keeping millions of
Americans from achieving their best health. And, for Latinos and African
Americans, who are most directly and disproportionately affected by chronic
health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, limited access to
healthy food exacerbates this disparity.  

“Anthem’s commitment to our community runs deep and our efforts to
improve social drivers of health are vital as we work to strengthen communities
and address health disparities and inequities that are creating barriers in the
quest to lead healthier lives,” said John Gallina, executive vice president and
CFO at Anthem. “The No One Runs on Empty
initiative is a natural fit for us. We’re pleased the Anthem Foundation can
support Gleaners and help amplify their efforts to ensure our residents have access
to healthy food.” 

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only showed the dramatic connection
between health and hunger, but it revealed inequities facing our most
vulnerable populations. Those already facing challenges were the first ones to
feel the impact of the pandemic and will experience that impact long-term. A
Feeding America study on the impact of food insecurity on healthcare costs
found that an additional $1.019 billion was spent on healthcare as a direct
result of the impact of food insecurity on health. Anthem’s catalytic
leadership role in social determinants of health was a natural fit for the No
One Runs on Empty initiative. Their support will amplify the coordinated work already
being done in this area by Anthem,
Gleaners, and others.

When the No. 88 car roars through Speedway, it will do more than
just sport the Gleaners logo on the car, it will demonstrate a significant
partnership and commitment to increasing the awareness of hunger issues throughout
the racing community and beyond. No child can run on empty and learn. No parent
can run on empty and work hard to provide for their family. No doctor or
teacher or race car driver can be their best when a basic need is not being
met.  

“We are really happy to provide a platform for the launch of this
campaign,” said Andretti Autosport CEO Michael Andretti. “We were very proud to
be able to join Gleaners recently at IMS for the Mega Fresh Mobile Pantry event
and saw the importance of their work firsthand. This is a key time in our
community, and we hope to join Gleaners in doing our part to help create
greater awareness and make sure that NO ONE RUNS ON EMPTY.” 

Harding Racing owner Mike Harding added, “We’ve done a lot of great work with Gleaners
over the years, and I’m especially proud to now bring them into our racing
family. I can’t think of a better way to continue our relationship with them
than supporting the goals of the NO ONE RUNS ON EMPTY campaign.” 

Gleaners will use this highly visible platform to educate the
public in a bold way about nutrition and healthy eating to increase overall
well-being and quality of life. Specifically, NO ONE RUNS ON EMPTY will support
initiatives under the Nourish pillar of Gleaners’ strategic plan, adopted in
February 2019. This includes increasing the amount of fresh fruits and
vegetables, protein, and dairy we distribute with an ultimate goal of 80% being
healthy foods to encourage.

The first gift toward the challenge has already been received from
Bank of America. Andy Crask, Indianapolis Market President for Bank of America
said, “Food is such a basic element of our lives and something that far too
many of us take for granted while far too many of our neighbors are
hungry. We have the means and resources to end food insecurity and it’s
in everyone’s best interest to make that happen. My Bank of America
teammates and I are pleased to join other Indianapolis corporate partners in
working with Gleaners to ensure that ‘No One Runs on Empty.’” Bank of America’s
$250,000 gift toward the No One Runs on Empty awareness campaign is in addition
to $100,000 already received from the bank earlier this year for COVID-19
relief. 

Watch for the full initiative to unfold beginning in mid-August,
leading into the Indianapolis 500 and continuing through the coming year. To
learn more, visit gleaners.org/noonerunsonempty.