Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the return of its largest fundraiser, Dancing with Our Stars, on Sept. 4 at Embassy Suites in Noblesville.

The event, sponsored by Community Health Network, features local professional dancers paired with Hamilton County celebrities competing for the title of Dancing with Our Stars Champions 2025. Audience members can vote for their favorite dancers to win the People’s Choice Award, with votes accepted both in-person and online.

Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County has been delivering over 200 nutritious meals daily since 1975, helping individuals live independently. The meals are prepared in state-approved healthcare facilities and tailored by registered dietitians to meet specific dietary needs.

The Dancing with Our Stars event is crucial for funding the organization’s mission to provide medically tailored meals to the elderly, those with disabilities, and individuals facing food insecurities in Hamilton County.

Despite recent federal funding cuts affecting some national programs, Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County remains financially stable due to limited reliance on federal funds and strong local support.

The event will feature professional dancers such as Rob Jenkins and Natasha Cox, alongside Hamilton County celebrities like Ashley Mandery and Erika Ross.

Tickets, donations, and votes for the event can be made at mealsonwheelshc.org, and further information is available by contacting Meals on Wheels at 317-776-7159.

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We all want to feed our families fresh, healthy foods, but some items in your kitchen may be doing more harm than good.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says tens of millions of Americans get sick from contaminated food every year, including food labeled organic. Last year alone, food recalls tied to E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria jumped by 41%, while related hospitalizations and deaths more than doubled.

In its latest food safety report, Consumer Reports identified several common grocery items as top offenders for contamination:

• Leafy greens and deli meats
• Onions, cucumbers, organic carrots, and organic basil
• Eggs, raw milk and raw milk cheeses
• Soft cheeses like queso fresco

Experts say contamination can happen anywhere, from the farm to processing plants to your own kitchen.

To reduce your risk of foodborne illness, Consumer Reports recommends the following safety steps:

• Always cook meat to the correct internal temperature using a food thermometer
• Use separate cutting boards for raw meat and fresh produce
• Thoroughly clean countertops and surfaces
• Avoid rinsing raw meat, which can spread bacteria around your sink area
• Store meat on the lowest shelf in the fridge
• Don’t leave food sitting out for more than two hours, or just one hour if it’s hot outside

Other risky items include raw sprouts, shellfish like oysters, uncooked flour, and unpasteurized juices, all of which have been tied to recent outbreaks.

Experts say staying informed and using smart food safety practices can go a long way in keeping your kitchen safe and your family healthy.

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Deandrea Rayner addressed food insecurity in Indianapolis by establishing the Indy Community Pantry, which launched in 2020 and has since expanded to include five dry-goods pantries and three community refrigerators throughout the city.

The initiative started with Rayner filling old boxes with food. Still, the demand quickly outpaced the supply, prompting her to expand the project with the help of volunteers and donations.

Rayner said, “It was a lot of people who didn’t have the resources and means to find food because COVID was new, and no one knew what was going on. So, I was like, ‘How can I help?'”

Rayner’s efforts have been supported by

A network of volunteers, who assist with tasks such as donation pickup and stocking the pantries and refrigerators, have supported Rayner’s efforts. “It would not be what it is today without my volunteers.”

The motto of the Indy Community Pantry is simple: Take what you need, leave what you can.

However, keeping the shelves stocked remains a constant challenge due to high demand.

Resident Peter Yazzie, talking about the occasional scarcity of food, said, “Yeah, sometimes we have to look around by ourselves to see if we can find something, and, most of the time, we’ll find something for the time being. But, yes, the refrigerators are empty sometimes.”

Rayner has ambitious plans for the future, including placing a refrigerator in a school and opening a completely free grocery store, but emphasized the need for continued community support and donations to achieve these goals.

The Indy Community Pantry will continue to address food insecurity in Indianapolis, relying on community involvement to sustain and expand its efforts, Rayner said. “That’s why we need the community’s help and why we are so big on donations, because the food goes so fast.”

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Tulip Tree Creamery, an artisan cheese company based in Indianapolis, has achieved international recognition with its Nightshade cheese winning a Super Gold Award at the 2024-2025 World Cheese Awards in Viseu, Portugal.

The prestigious award places Nightshade among the top 2% of cheeses globally, as only 104 Super Golds were awarded out of 4,786 entries from 47 countries. This accolade highlights the quality and craftsmanship of Tulip Tree Creamery’s products.

In addition to the Super Gold Award, Tulip Tree Creamery’s other cheeses also received accolades at the World Cheese Awards. Queen Anne’s Lace earned a Silver, while Milkweed and Trillium each took home a Bronze.

Tulip Tree Creamery has introduced two new cheeses: Blazing Star, a young cheddar, and Marigold, a Latin-inspired cheese with Mexican spices.

A recent grant has enabled the company to acquire new machinery that cuts cheese into pieces, facilitating sales to smaller retailers across the United States.

The creamery is actively involved in community events and national shows, participating in fundraisers like REV and Zoobilation, as well as industry events such as The National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago and the Fancy Food Show in New York City.

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The Partnership for a Healthier America has launched the Good Good Food campaign in Indianapolis, aiming to increase access to fresh, healthy food.

The effort kicked off with a midweek event on Monument Circle, marking Indianapolis as part of a coalition to double the consumption of produce by 2030.

As part of the launch, PHA awarded $10,000 grants to eight local organizations in Indianapolis to help provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

The grants are slated to support a variety of initiatives, including produce credits for families in need and technical assistance for local groups.

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Bearing a bumper crop of basil, rosemary, and sage, Community Health Registered Dietician Carole Corder delivers a savory message: Eat more herbs and spices.

Corder contends there are several benefits from her spicy suggestions. The first upside is added flavor without the dangers of salt, the most popular seasoning.

Many herbs and spices carry powerful benefits for the body. “Herbs are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and antioxidants,” she explained. “We’re all looking for ways to reduce the effects of stress in our lives -the negative effects- and adding herbs to our foods is one way to do it. So they’re very strong and powerful antioxidants.”

Corder loves fresh herbs and encourages growing them, but she says dried store-bought versions are fine, too, and carry similar health benefits.

She also says recipes do not need to be complicated to deliver positive health effects.

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Fred Glass, head of Gleaners Food Bank, gave a stark warning about proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which could lead to a humanitarian and economic disaster in Indiana and across the country.

The proposed cuts are part of the President’s spending proposal and involve a $300 billion reduction in SNAP funding, with Indiana facing a potential loss of $353 million. This reduction would translate to 133 million fewer meals for Hoosiers in need, affecting 610,000 residents who rely on the program, including 264,000 children and 90,000 senior citizens.

“The facts really speak for themselves, and they needed to be said,” Glass said. Glass expressed hope that the Senate, as the more deliberative body, would reconsider the proposed cuts, stating, “Hopefully, the Senate will find that that’s too high a price to be paid to fund tax cuts for the wealthy.”

Glass highlighted that the SNAP program has historically been federally funded, with no state money involved. He pointed out that the entire charitable food system in Indiana, comprising 11 food banks, created 108 million meals last year, which isn’t enough to cover the shortfall if the cuts proceed. He also addressed misconceptions about SNAP recipients, noting that they are often working individuals, children, disabled, or elderly people; not people taking advantage of the system.

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Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana on Thursday had a ceremonial opening for the Tom and Julie Wood Family Resource Center on Waldemere Avenue.

The center was designed to expand Gleaners’ services to include legal aid, a pharmacy, and a medical clinic.

The resource center aims to support the 4,000 families the food bank serves monthly, addressing food insecurity and providing additional resources to improve community health and well-being.

Gennesaret Free Clinics will operate the medical clinic, offering medical exams and preventative care to meet what’s described as a growing demand for health care services in the community.

The clinic on Monday will begin seeing patients. It’s at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana’s food distribution center, 3737 Waldemere Ave., which is southeast of the I-70 and I-465 interchange on the southwest side of Indianapolis.

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