With a population of 903,000, Marion County is one of the biggest communities in Indiana, but with a big community comes more residents who could be stricken by hunger or homelessness during the holiday season. Non-profit and community organizations try to fight this by running a number of drives and events. There are a wide variety of these locations in Marion County.
The Moorehead Community Center is one of those locations and has been a central location for community outreach in the Warren area for years. They run a multitude of programs that benefit the local community immensely. Their website describes it as a “district-led, community-based, family-focused, and culturally affirming facility.”
The community center runs a food and clothing drive during the holiday season and year-round through Sonny Day Food Pantry, which it facilitates. Sonny Day provides food, toiletry items, cleaning supplies, school supplies, and gently used clothing to children and their families. They are more than willing to assist those who visit them on their twice-monthly distribution dates.
In a holiday spirit, they provide themed meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as run gift drives. The Thanksgiving meals of past years have included turkeys, brownies, and an assortment of vegetables. The Christmas meals do not include a single set of dishes or ingredients as Christmas is less directly associated with any specific food or condiment. These meals are huge for families who may not have had a meal otherwise, allowing them to share the family memories of holiday meals that children will remember for years. Brandon Young, a student who has volunteered to help with this program in the past, commented.
“This is a good opportunity to give back to your community and give back in a way that makes a difference and a meaningful connection,” Young said.
With the cold weather greatly associated with the season, they also run coat drives to benefit those who can’t afford them helping to prevent illnesses such as cold, fever, and ailments like hypothermia that always tend to come around during the holiday season. This makes it easier for students to get to school safely and remain healthy as the school year goes on and the weather gets harsher.
This season, similarly, WEDM and WCTV ran a toy drive in connection with Moorehead titled “Santa Cause” to allow Santa to visit every kid's house regardless of financial situation. This helped hundreds of families who otherwise couldn’t afford toys and captures the true holiday spirit; since it’s not about getting, but true unconditional giving that makes the season. They raised over 3,600 dollars and garnered a total of 70+ toys and board games which will contribute to many Christmases around the city.
Additionally, Moorehead runs a variety of other programs not as intertwined with the cold, food, or holidays. These programs include nutritional education, support groups, employment services, tutoring services, and housing or utility support. All invaluable resources for an inner-city school district not exactly filled with exuberant wealth. The combination of these programs provides a backbone for the community that allows for a more equal and equitable playing field for all.
One other program in the area is “The Good for All Program,” which is a government-run food equity program to address food insecurity in low-income areas of Marion County and Indianapolis. Notable figures such as Joe Hogsett, the mayor, have been seen helping out with this specific food program. Gleaners and Second Helpings are more widespread programs across the nation as well for food insecurity, gift drives, and winter gear distribution through the holidays.
For more information about the community center or to get in touch with the community center, they can be contacted at (317) 532-3854 and through email. They are always looking for more volunteers, donations, and people in need. On the Sonny Day side service opportunities are available at least once a month with 15 volunteers requested for each one, sign up is available on their website.