One in eight Hoosiers struggles with hunger. Gleaners Food Bank was founded in 1980 with the simple mission to fight this crisis. Annually, more than 260,000 Indiana residents receive assistance from Gleaners Food Bank, of which more than 30,000 are seniors and nearly 100,000 are children. That’s why the work Gleaners does in 21 counties throughout central and southeast Indiana is so important – and why SEP is dedicated to doing its part to support their noble cause.
“SEP is one of Gleaners’ most valued corporate partners,” said Peg Strodtbeck, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Gleaners.
SEP began working with Gleaners in 2008 by providing donations through a food drive. The company’s involvement increased in 2012 when a team of volunteers began working on-site. The experience was so rewarding that members of the company returned to volunteer twice in 2013. Now, SEP staff volunteer quarterly to pack and assemble boxes of food for the hungry. In 2014 alone, SEP employees have committed nearly 200 hours of their time to assemble more than 4,000 boxes or sacks of food for children and seniors.
Each executive at SEP chooses a non-profit organization to support. Chris Atkinson, Vice President of Engineering, chose Gleaners because he was, “inspired by their passion and dedication to the cause of feeding the hungry in our community.”
“I wanted to find a partner that helped impact the lives of people right here in Indiana and helped others less fortunate than us,” said Atkinson. “Gleaners is a fantastic organization, and in addition to helping with our financial support, I liked that they have some fun opportunities for us to contribute in a very hands-on way.”
“SEP supports Gleaners in three ways: through matching gifts, by making generous donations to underwrite our programs and services, and by getting involved with our annual Harvest Moon Gala,” said Strodtbeck.
Atkinson hopes SEP’s involvement with Gleaners will help convince other groups of the value of volunteering their time. “Carving out a weekday evening or a few hours on the weekend to volunteer for Gleaners is a very rewarding experience. Being able to have a direct hand in packaging food that will meet the needs of others right here in our community is extremely fulfilling. We have also found it to be a great team-building activity for our company, when we can work side-by-side with fellow colleagues to contribute to a great cause.”
To learn more about Gleaners and why SEP gets involved CLICK HERE
