Indy Hunger Network

According to Indy Hunger Network’s 2025 Hunger Study, approximately 54% of Central Indiana households experience some level of food insecurity. Addressing this challenge requires more than providing food. It also means helping residents navigate available resources, strengthening food pantries, improving nutrition education, and addressing barriers that prevent people from accessing assistance.

Indy Hunger Network (IHN) works with nonprofit organizations, corporations, government agencies, and community partners to strengthen the Greater Indianapolis hunger relief system. Through collaboration, IHN connects residents with food assistance, equips local organizations with resources to better serve their communities, and identifies opportunities to improve how the system operates.

IHN’s programs address hunger through several key initiatives:

• Community Compass: A free digital tool that connects Indiana residents with food pantries, meal sites, and information about food assistance programs.
• Food Resource Services Hub (FRSH): Provides Marion County residents with personalized assistance navigating food resources and programs such as SNAP, WIC, and school meals.
• Cooking Matters: Offers hands-on cooking and nutrition education to help participants prepare healthy, affordable meals and build practical skills for feeding their families.
• Food Pantry Network: Supports more than 350 food pantries across Central Indiana through collaboration, technical assistance, and grant opportunities that strengthen pantry infrastructure and service capacity.
• Research and Advocacy: Identifies barriers to food access and advances solutions to improve the broader hunger relief system.

Funding Needs and Use of Funds
Financial support is essential to sustaining these programs and expanding their reach. Funding needs include marketing and outreach to increase awareness and use of Community Compass, resources to sustain FRSH navigation services, support for Cooking Matters classes and nutrition education, and grants that help food pantries improve their facilities, equipment, and service capacity. Additional funding supports research, advocacy, and collaboration among community partners to address systemic barriers to food access.

By investing in Indy Hunger Network, funders help strengthen the network of organizations working to address hunger throughout Central Indiana. Their support helps residents access available resources while ensuring food pantries and community partners have the tools, information, and capacity needed to serve their communities effectively.