Central Indiana families facing rising grocery bills are about to get a sizable assist from one of the region's biggest employers and its NBA franchise. Eli Lilly has rolled out a multi-pronged push to expand access to nutritious food, pairing fast meal distribution with behind-the-scenes upgrades to pantry infrastructure. The effort is expected to deliver roughly 500,000 meals across 15 communities this year while helping food pantries install refrigeration that organizers say will let them store and serve more protein all year long. Locally, the Pacers Foundation plans to grow its Drive & Dish network by adding three new sites over the next five years.
In a press release via PR Newswire, Lilly said the initiative launched Tuesday and will support HATCH, United Way Worldwide, United Way of Central Indiana and the Pacers Foundation. The company said it will fund HATCH to obtain and donate commercial-grade refrigeration systems to 150 food pantries and will support distributions totaling roughly 500,000 meals across 15 communities, a combination Lilly estimates could enable about five million protein-rich meals annually.
Pacers' Drive & Dish to grow
The Pacers Foundation says it will add three Drive & Dish sites over the next five years, two in Marion County and one in Boone County. The Drive & Dish program has already moved fresh food across the region, delivering more than 1.2 million pounds of food to date, as outlined by the Pacers Foundation. Foundation leaders say the expansion is designed to make it easier for families to pick fresh, nutritious options instead of being limited to fixed food boxes.
Local partners will mobilize distributions
In Indianapolis and Boone County, United Way of Central Indiana will coordinate distributions through partners such as Gleaners and Second Helpings to get meals onto local tables. In a statement to PR Newswire, United Way of Central Indiana CEO Fred Payne said access to nutritious food "shapes health, stability and opportunity" for neighbors in need.
Why protein matters now
Organizers argue that refrigeration and protein access are especially urgent as higher prices squeeze household food budgets. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index rose 3.8% year over year in April, and the "food at home" index that tracks grocery prices jumped 0.7% that month. The BLS employment report also shows average hourly earnings rose about 3.6% year over year in April, leaving limited extra income to absorb higher grocery bills.
What comes next
Lilly says employee volunteer opportunities and partner distributions will continue throughout the year and will culminate with the company’s Global Day of Service in September. Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, which distributed more than 102 million meals in 2025 across a 21-county service area, says refrigeration upgrades could allow partner pantries to routinely offer more protein and fresh produce instead of relying only on shelf-stable items. Organizers emphasize that pairing immediate meal deliveries with long-term infrastructure investments is intended to change what pantries can offer on a regular basis.
