Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides nutritious food to roughly one-third of the food insecure population in Indiana. Having distributed over 57 million pounds of food in Fiscal Year 2023, Gleaners is the largest food bank in Indiana. About 63% of the food distributed annually goes to food pantries and agencies. The remaining 37% goes directly to neighbors through programs like Gleaners’ Drive Thru Food Pantry and the Gleaners2Go curbside pickup.
With rising demand for charitable food in Central Indiana, Gleaners must continue serving 8,000 households weekly through Gleaners2Go and the Drive Thru Food Pantry while also enhancing Choice—allowing neighbors to select the foods they receive—in both programs.
Committed to innovation, Gleaners has partnered with Counterpart to develop a groundbreaking eCommerce platform. This platform features a user-friendly web app for shopping and order management. It also includes an admin and volunteer web app for order fulfillment, inventory management, scheduling, and more.
Food banks increasingly recognize that food insecurity is fundamentally about poverty—not just a lack of food. Gleaners views itself not just as a provider of charitable food, but as a force for poverty alleviation. It uses food as a tool to help lift neighbors out of hardship. Because food is one of the most accessible forms of charitable support, Gleaners leverages it to make a broader impact on poverty in the communities they serve.
Gleaners is transforming the charitable food assistance landscape with an innovative eCommerce platform. This solution empowers neighbors to choose the foods they need in a way that preserves dignity and autonomy, catering to specific preferences like fresh produce, pantry staples, or items for dietary restrictions. Through this solution, Gleaners ensures that neighbors receive food that aligns with their unique needs, reducing potential food waste. At the same time, this platform equips charitable food organizations with the digital infrastructure to operate more efficiently and scale to meet rising demand. This will ultimately make a greater impact on both hunger and poverty.
In addition to providing neighbors with more choice, the platform has streamlined the food distribution process for volunteers. After an order is placed, volunteers will pack selected items and either deliver them directly to the neighbors’ cars or pack onto pallets for later distribution. This system not only reduces wait times but also creates a more organized and efficient workflow during busy distribution days.
This increased efficiency benefits both neighbors and volunteers. Neighbors can receive their food more quickly and conveniently. Volunteers experience a smoother, more structured process that allows them to focus on serving the community with care. The platform also reduces the complexity of managing inventory. This can ensure that Gleaners can better track which items are in high demand and adjust their supply accordingly.
One of the core principles driving this initiative is that everyone deserves to make choices regardless of their circumstances. By giving neighbors the ability to select their own food, Gleaners is shifting the narrative around food assistance and poverty. By providing food for their neighbors, Gleaners is meeting the need for nutrition. They are also providing charitable support that helps neighbors free up financial resources to cover other essential household needs like housing, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and education.
This approach also acknowledges that food insecurity doesn’t diminish a person’s ability to know what they need. It ensures that families, no matter their situation, have access to food that suits their preferences and health requirements. In this way, Gleaners isn’t just feeding the community — they’re empowering it.
The development of this platform showcases how technology can be a powerful tool for community betterment. It’s a prime example of how nonprofits like Gleaners are embracing digital innovation to improve service delivery, adapt to the needs of the community, and create more efficient systems. With the platform’s capabilities, Gleaners is not only able to serve more people but do so in a way that prioritizes their dignity, preferences, and unique situations.
The platform also aligns with Gleaners’ mission of fighting hunger with more than just food. It’s about using resources, including technology, to foster a healthier, more empowered community. By integrating modern solutions into their food distribution model, Gleaners is setting a precedent for how food banks can operate in the future.
Gleaners Food Bank is transforming the food assistance experience. They are proving that innovation isn’t just about new ideas. It’s about making meaningful, positive changes in the lives of the people they serve.
As the Gleaners2Go eCommerce platform nears its official launch, we’re excited to see the positive impact it will have on neighbors, volunteers, and the entire Gleaners community. This tool is set to transform how food is accessed and delivered, making it an empowering experience for everyone involved. Stay tuned for updates as the eCommerce platform rolls out in the near future — we can’t wait to share the success.
Posted in Business, Software Services
