Indy Parks is known for creating engaging spaces for children and families to stay active, to play, and to discover.
You may be surprised to know that our team is also known for providing 400,000 meals every year to families and youth who might otherwise go hungry.
We take such great pride in turning our parks into safe places for children and their families to eat. Annually, we offer three valuable meal programs: Summer Servings, After-school, and Second Helpings.
In partnership with Mayor Joe Hogsett, the City of Indianapolis, and the Indiana Department of Education, our Summer Servings program fills the void left when schools close for the summer, giving children reliable sources of food throughout the day. Each summer, Indy Parks manages nearly 100 meal serving sites out of parks, libraries, churches, mobile units and other locations.
Our summer food team also provides food service training and helps organizations develop their own food programs and deliver meals. From May to August, Indy Parks provides nearly 200,000 meals to youth around the city. All serving locations are available on our website at parks.indy.gov. For updated serving times, please call 2-1-1 or text ‘FOOD’ to 877-877.
This summer, Indy Parks will provide daily delivery of meals to the nearly 100 program sites, which includes park locations and 26 mobile sites. Additionally, Indy Parks will also instruct free food service training for participating organizations and groups in Marion County. Last year, Indy Parks served nearly 200,000 summer meals to youth in Marion County.
These meals are also enjoyed year-round by children in Indy Parks family centers, public libraries and schools, and apartment complexes. In the past five years, our total impact from providing free meals has been over 2 million meals served at a cost savings of over $6.8 million.
