The Society of St. Andrew Receives Contribution from Honda to Address Food Insecurity

INDIANAPOLIS, IN, UNITED STATES, September 27, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Society of St. Andrew’s Indiana Gleaning Network (IGN) received a $25,000 contribution from Honda to address food waste and food insecurity across Indiana.

“We are so grateful for Honda’s support of our 2023 gleaning season” said Dawn Barnes, Indiana Regional Director for the Society of St. Andrew. “This contribution will enable the Indiana Gleaning Network to cover the increasing costs of transportation and freight for large loads of produce, bulk repackaging costs, as well as the operational costs associated with gleanings and distribution events.”

“Retail produce is subject to extreme cosmetic standards, and often huge amounts of harvests are unmarketable due to size, color, or other imperfections that have nothing to do with the food being healthy or good to eat,” says Barnes, “The Indiana Gleaning Network makes it easy for farmers to donate their abundance and the community benefits – it is a win for everyone!”

The Indiana Gleaning Network builds community spirit by engaging individuals in different types of local food recovery efforts – field gleaning, farmers’ market gleaning, and pick-ups at packing houses. Generous farmers donate crops that may not meet buyers’ cosmetic standards. Rather than let this food go to waste in landfills or rot in fields, these farmers can call on the IGN to organize, train, and supervise volunteer gleaners to harvest the unsellable or excess crops and transport it to local hunger relief agencies that are assisting our food-insecure neighbors. Whether it's still in the field or being graded out in a warehouse, the IGN can safely recover and distribute the produce for free to community agencies with minimal impact to the farmer’s business. By making good use of good food that is readily available, people struggling with adequate nutrition can receive the gift of free, healthy food.

“The Indiana Gleaning Network is doing incredible work helping those experiencing food insecurity by preventing unnecessary food waste,” said Yvette Hunsicker, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for American Honda. “Honda is proud to partner with an organization that has such a positive impact to our community.”

Since the Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) established the Indiana Gleaning Network in 2018, over 9 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables have been saved and distributed to hungry families across the state, providing 36 million servings of nutrition food to Hoosiers. SoSA’s mission is to bring people together to harvest and share healthy food, reduce food waste, and build caring communities by offering nourishment to hungry neighbors.

About the Society of St. Andrew’s Indiana Gleaning Network.
The Indiana Gleaning Network is a regional office of the national non-profit, Society of St, Andrew, founded in 1983 and based in Big Island, VA. In 2018, SoSA expanded to Indiana and formed the Indiana Gleaning Network (IGN). The IGN works with farmers to harvest unmarketable fruits and vegetables, and organizes volunteers to pick, pack, and transport healthy produce to local hunger relief organizations such as food banks, free church pantries, shelters, and other nonprofits across the state. To learn more visit www.endhunger.org/indiana.

About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility and the Honda USA Foundation
For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that help people fulfill their life’s potential, while conducting business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Advancing its corporate social responsibility, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation support this direction through giving focused on education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety, and community.
Learn more at www.csr.honda.com/.

Dawn Barnes
The Society of St. Andrew, Inc. (SoSA)
+1 3172795119
indiana@endhunger.org
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