October 13th, 2019: On June 27th, 2018 Harry Styles performed in Indianapolis, Indiana, as part of his first solo tour. Here using the proceeds from the sale of his Treat People With Kindness merchandise and part of the tickets’ sale, he made a donation to Second Helpings.

Second Helpings is an Indianapolis based charity that works to reduce poverty in the area by providing meals to families that live below the poverty line and by training people in the culinary industry. It is estimated that the percentage of families that live below the poverty line in certain Indiana counties is above the national averages. There are families that live in Marion’s county for example who live on a combined income of $25,500/year. However, it has been determined that a family in this area needs at least $50,800 to be self-sufficient. These statistics highlight the fact that a large number of families in the Indianapolis area are food insecure, which means that they lack consistent access to enough food for an active and healthy life.

The pictures below are shared from the Second Helpings Twitter account.

Relying on the help of hundreds of volunteers, Second Helpings works to prepare more than 4,000 meals per day which it then distributes to over 90 social service agencies that feed individuals and families across the area. To prepare this large number of meals this charity relies on donations of food that would otherwise be discarded. In doing so Second Helpings helps also with food waste. In particular, Second Helpings partners with grocery stores, restaurants, farmers, and caterers to rescue food every day, most of which is perishable. To this day Second Helpings has rescued more than 33 million pounds of food!

The positive impact of food rescue on the environment is huge. Indeed, it has been estimated that the carbon emission caused by food waste worldwide (which is 1/3 of the total food available) would correspond to the carbon emission of a country in third place just below China and the USA.

In addition to providing warm meals, Second Helpings also trains adults that are either unemployed or underemployed in Indiana in Culinary jobs. The training program that Second Helpings offers is considered by the American Culinary Federation among the top in the nation. It is a 7 weeks program that offers a full round preparation in culinary jobs and in handling finances. Classes are taught by two top chefs and by other specialized professionals that come to the program to teach special classes. The program is rigorous with homework, quizzes and tests designed to reinforce concepts and skills learned every day. The program is even accredited; each graduate of the Second Helpings culinary program indeed gains 5 credits hours from the culinary program at Ivy Tech Community College and ServSafe Certification.

The video below is shared from the Second Helpings Youtube channel.

Second Helpings also offers the ServSafe program that prepares for obtaining the ServSafe Food Handler Certification. This program covers areas such as providing safe food, contamination, food allergies, foodborne illness, safe food handling, purchasing and receiving safe food, keeping food safe in storage, protecting food in preparation and serving, sanitary facilities and equipment, and sanitation regulations.

Throughout the year Second Helpings organizes events that bring the charity to the attention of the public. The events are diverse and go from fancier events like Forks and Corks and the Tonic Ball to more family-oriented and casual events like the Super Bawls which features a friendly soup competition.

Second Helpings relies on the support of volunteers and corporate partners for the work it does in the Indianapolis area. It is also always looking for food donations. If you want to learn how you can help Second Helpings, head over to their Volunteer and Donate pages.

The picture of Harry Styles is shared from his HSHQ Twitter account (Helene Pambrun’s photography).