Dear Community:
All of us at Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana and Partners in Nutrition Indiana have felt deep pain as the events of recent weeks have unfolded. The racial injustice perpetrated in this country on a daily basis is unacceptable and has gone on far too long. Our organization stands united against racism, bigotry and inequality. We support Black communities everywhere and racism is not – and never will be – tolerated.
Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana has served diverse populations in Marion County and parts of Johnson, Hamilton and Boone Counties since we were founded in 1971. We have always strived to close socio-economic gaps related to food access and food insecurity in communities of color, because we recognize the barriers residents face in obtaining nutritious food. Today, along with our partner organizations, we provide medically tailored meals to people with chronic and critical health conditions, and will continue to respond with compassion and dignity to each individual we serve.
Now, more than ever, we are renewing our commitment to our work. We will continue to advocate for expanding medically tailored meal preparation and delivery to address health disparities in our state and nation. We will continue to build on the services we offer in 69 Hoosier counties, where we provide medically tailored meals to diverse populations living with HIV and other chronic conditions. We will strengthen our relationships with our volunteers and expand our relationships with Minority Health Coalitions across the state to ensure our clients and their loved ones have a voice that carries equal weight in the halls of our office and in the halls of power.
We also are listening and we are learning. This will require us to acknowledge the blindspots we may have based on our personally lived experiences and to remove them through meaningful conversations with our diverse community. We are listening to our employees and our volunteers, so we can support them personally and professionally and will foster a learning environment that increases opportunities that promotes success for all. We are examining how our leadership can meaningfully reflect the diversity of the community in which we live, work, and serve. We can, and we will, do better.
COVID-19 has shown us what we can do for our clients if we put aside our fears and work together. Fighting racism for a more just, equal and inclusive future can be done. No longer will our Black brothers and sisters shoulder racism alone. We are their allies in this fight.
Our work starts now. We will hold ourselves accountable as individuals, as a board, and as an organization. We look forward to continuing to share our progress with you.
Sincerely,
The Board and Staff of Partners in Nutrition Indiana
and Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana