BLOOMINGTON, IND. (Nov. 4, 2025) — Today, the Pacers Foundation brought together community leaders, food access advocates and local stakeholders for a focused discussion on addressing food insecurity in Bloomington and the surrounding region.
The event, held at Ivy Tech Community College’s Bloomington campus, was part of the Foundation’s statewide Drive & Dish initiative, which works to make healthy food more accessible to families across Indiana. Representatives from Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Gleaners Food Bank and a range of local organizations participated in the conversation.
“This roundtable is a valuable opportunity to bring together diverse voices from across the region and learn more from one another,” said Corey Wilson, Pacers Sports & Entertainment SVP of community engagement. “By convening these conversations, we’re helping to elevate the important work being done to support families and lead collaborative efforts to increase access to healthy food.”
The Bloomington discussion builds on a similar roundtable the foundation hosted in Muncie this past summer and precedes another roundtable planned for Lafayette later this month. Participants explored strategies for expanding food access, shared insights on ongoing barriers to food security, and highlighted collaborative initiatives making a difference across the state.
“Anything that we can do to heighten awareness that there is food insecurity in our region is important,” said Julio Alonso, executive director of Hoosier Hills Food Bank. “Bringing together local leaders is an important step to building public awareness, increasing collaboration and building resources to combat this issue.”
Drive & Dish provides families in Indianapolis with free, customizable groceries through the Gleaners2Go app and website, which are available for weekly pick-up at Indy Parks sites, serving more than 4,000 households last year. In Terre Haute, the program partners with Catholic Charities and Gleaners to distribute approximately 1,700 boxes of fresh produce monthly.
The initiative is made possible through the support of Indiana Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle, donors, corporate partners, and philanthropic organizations.
