Indianapolis Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Launches Donation Program

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — An Indianapolis restaurant is working to fight hunger through a new donation program. Cheddar's Scratch Food Kitchen tells Patch that according to Feeding America, one in eight Americans is hungry or at risk of hunger, which is just one of the reasons why they've launched a donation program to fight hunger in our community by teaming up with Andrew's Harvest Food Pantry at Christ Indianapolis United Methodist Church.

Team members at the restaurant in Indianapolis say donations of wholesome, surplus food are made from the business' kitchen to the nonprofit on a weekly basis as part of its new Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Harvest program.

“Hunger is a community issue, and at Cheddar’s, we’re in a strong position to make an impact in our local community,” Jason Blankenship, Managing Partner of the location in Indianapolis, said in a release sent to Patch. “Our scratch cooking philosophy means that we always have fresh ingredients on-hand, and can donate excess, when available. Our team takes tremendous pride in helping our neighbors in need through our partnership with Andrew's Harvest Food Pantry.”

Donated items include a combination of fresh ingredients, such as vegetables and proteins, and hand-crafted dishes, such as soups, sauces, casseroles and pasta.

“We’re thankful to have Cheddar’s as a partner in hunger relief,” Willard Mays, Co-chair, Andrew's Harvest Food Pantry, Christ Indianapolis United Methodist Church, said in a release sent to Patch. “Their contributions will help our organization in bettering the community and providing wholesome meals to those in need.”

Andrew’s Harvest Food Pantry serves up to 200 families a month, is funded by donations, and is operated by volunteers as a community outreach mission, according to a release.

Darden Foundation, the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants, is donating $157,000 on behalf of Cheddar’s restaurants nationwide, which will benefit 83 food banks. According to a release, Darden Restaurants’ 1,700 restaurants nationwide participate in the Harvest food donation program and the family of brands have donated more than 100 million pounds of food – or 83.3 million meals – to nonprofits nationwide.

As of this spring, the program has been implemented in more than 150 Cheddar’s kitchens nationwide.

More: www.Cheddars.com.

Photos: Costa Communications Group, Darden