For the third year, Gleaners’ Huddle Against Hunger took over Lucas Oil Stadium, presented by the Indianapolis Colts. Supporters spent the evening down on the field, mingling on the 50-yard line, playing games, and eating well, for a cause that reaches across the state.
Every dollar raised goes straight to buying food. For us, it was an easy night to show up for. We’ve attended all three years.
We built Gleaners the platform its whole operation runs on: neighbors order the groceries they choose, volunteers pick and load them, and the drive-thru and delivery run on schedule. It launched in 2024, and we’ve been building on it ever since. Most of that work happens quietly, so an evening like this is a chance to step away from the sprint board and spend time with the people the software is actually for.
A Night on the Field
JT, Steve, Aaron, Ian, and Drew were there for Counterpart on a field most people only ever see from the stands. They all took a shot at kicking a field goal, but Andy (one of our guests) was the only one who made it.
Clayton Anderson performed, the food was good, and the locker room experience is still the part people talk about. Gleaners also added new activities this year that repeat attendees enjoyed.
The part that sticks is the room itself. You can stand on the field and see how many other people turned out for the same reason, which is different from reading a number on a page.
What a Night on the Field Buys
One in seven Hoosiers is experiencing food insecurity, according to Gleaners. Gleaners serves 21 counties as Indiana’s largest food bank, and it has to purchase nearly half of the food it provides. This year that budget climbed to $9.5 million.
Here’s the part worth knowing. Because of what Gleaners has invested in its people, its facilities, and its equipment, it can buy roughly nine times what the same dollar buys at a grocery store. So an evening on the field turns into a great deal more food than it sounds like.
Looking Ahead
Our work with Gleaners doesn’t pause between events. The platform keeps growing with the operation, because a food bank this size keeps finding new things it needs the software to do.
Nights like this one are the same mission from a different angle. They bring people together around something worth doing, and they turn an evening into groceries on somebody’s table.
We’re grateful to have been there, and we’ll be back next year.