INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 29, 2026) – Eli Lilly and Company is helping expand the Pacers Foundation’s Drive & Dish program to three new community locations, creating more opportunities for Hoosiers in need to access fresh, nutritious food.
As part of its 150th anniversary, Lilly made a significant multi-year contribution to support the expansion of Drive & Dish to three additional sites, including Indianapolis’ JTV Hill Park and Villages of Indiana, along with New Beginnings in Boone County. The organizations announced the expansion at JTV Hill Park on Tuesday in conjunction with Hunger Action Day, an annual opportunity to raise awareness of food insecurity and encourage action to help neighbors facing hunger.
“Hunger Action Day reminds us that food insecurity continues to affect far too many families in our communities,” said Cynthia Cardona, vice president of Social Impact. “At Lilly, we believe healthier communities are built when people have access to the resources they need to thrive. Drive & Dish is an innovative model that meets families where they are, while providing the dignity of choice in selecting food for their households. Through this investment, Lilly is helping bring healthy food closer to where people live, work and gather, making access simpler and more equitable. We’re honored to support the expansion of Drive & Dish and to work alongside the Pacers Foundation and Gleaners to create lasting impact for Indiana families.”
The investment builds on the success of Drive & Dish, a community-based food distribution initiative created by Indiana Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle and the Pacers Foundation with critical support from Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana to bring nutritious food directly into neighborhoods. The program is centered on dignity and choice, allowing neighbors to use the Gleaners2Go app to select from a variety of fresh produce, protein, dairy and pantry staples based on their household needs, then pick up their orders at a local Drive & Dish distribution site. Since its launch, the program has fulfilled more than 45,000 food orders totaling over 1.3 million pounds of food.
“Everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious food and we want to make that access as easy and welcoming as possible,” said Rachel Simon, chair of the Pacers Foundation. “Thanks to Lilly’s incredible commitment and our partnership with Gleaners, we can bring Drive & Dish to more neighborhoods and make it easier for families to get the food they need, in a way that gives them both choice and dignity. We’re grateful to be able to be part of something that directly supports our neighbors and strengthens our communities.”
Rather than requiring neighbors to travel to traditional food distribution sites, Drive & Dish brings food directly to locations that families already know and trust like local parks and community centers. Through the expanded program, 90 families across the three new locations will be able to receive their mobile orders twice a month at their local Drive & Dish site.
“Fighting hunger is a team sport, and we’re thrilled to support the expansion of the Pacers Foundation’s Drive and Dish program,” said President and CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Fred Glass. “Thanks to the generosity of Eli Lilly and Company, more Hoosier families will be able to access this program and choose with dignity the foods they need for their families. Programs like this meet people where they are, most of whom are working and unable to make it to traditional food pantry distributions. This will make a difference in the lives of so many families.”
For those interested in participating in Drive & Dish, additional information and application information is available by contacting the participating distribution site directly. Visit PacersFoundation.org/Drive-Dish for more information about the Pacers Foundation and Drive & Dish.
