Dotted Line Divas was started by an incredible woman who, while going through a hard time a few…read moreyears ago, spent every Saturday driving to local pantries to collect items for her family. She quickly realized that most food pantries had almost no personal hygiene or home items necessary to sustain a family. She redirected her attention to couponing and became incredibly good at it. She now uses her extreme couponing skills to serve 100+ families each month. She opened a personal care pantry that offers the following: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine care items, diapers, wipes, toilet paper, home cleaning supplies, detergent, deodorant, books and more. This pantry is located in the new Mercy Road church off of 96th and Michigan Road and is open for "pantry day" every third Saturday of the month from 10am-12pm. Families can register beforehand or show up and fill out paperwork. Volunteers will then call a family up, take them through the pantry and ask if there's anything our team can be praying for. If there are extra items in the pantry from 12pm-1pm, people who need it can pay $1 or $2 to snag additional items. There needs to be ideally 20 volunteers to make this nonprofit possible every third Saturday. Bonus points if you can speak Spanish or Burmese. Please sign up on their website sign up link before showing up to volunteer so they know you're coming. If you have a few extra hours, it'll mean the world to the families and you'll meet incredibly kind people that you'll feel honored to help! Everyone is so kind and sweet. I even learned a ton of Spanish thanks to the patient people who taught me while we shopped!

The founder is so passionate about her project that you can't help but get swept away…read more Truthfully this is a worthwhile project. There are so many food banks, but those do not supply any kind of hygiene articles: the shampoos, soaps, sanitary napkins, toilet paper, detergents, toothpaste, diapers... those type of things are just as necessary for your health as food. Dotted Line Divas steps in here and tries to supply at least some of the most needed items. Of course they are dependent on our assistance. So consider donating your time or money or goods to this worthwhile cause. Keep in mind that sanitary napkins, tampons and diapers are the most needed items.

What a fantastic organization and very well organized they continue to need help through money and…read moredonations. As I was there donating from a food drive, there was a continuous buzz of food being loaded onto large trucks coming and going. They often rely on food surplus which isn't happening during the pandemic https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.indystar.com/amp/5218064002 . Everyone was very nice and when I called to donate they had people to unload all with smiles on their face. It took 2 days for Gleaners to call me back; They had someone to talk to immediately. They also said our donation would be back out the door and in someone who needed it's hands within 48hrs!

If you are looking for volunteering opportunities, Gleaners is Wonderful!! I've volunteered here a…read morefew times and it's very well organized, and fulfilling. Just go to www.gleaners.volunteerhub.com to get started, sign up for a shift or a few. I've done the front of house and gotten hugs from some of the recipients that walk through, and yesterday I tried doing the back warehouse area. The magnitude of food that comes through is astounding. In the few hours that I was there we sorted through about 500 pounds of food? I enjoyed helping with the warehouse to see where it all begins just as much as I've enjoyed helping in the front of house. A common task in the front is taking food to vehicles since you can't take the shopping carts in the back, and there are quite a few elderly that come in. If you have extra time, they have more than 26,000 volunteer visits each year. Check it out, it seems to make me think my problems are not that bad whenever I do a shift.

I really enjoyed volunteering here. It was very impacting. I've never worked in a warehouse before…read morebut I would imagine that it's similar to the assembly line we had. I was at stop 3 so I handed out salad, peppers, or brocolli along with a pack of Starry and a bag from Starbucks. I didnt give 5 stars because some of the bags had old dates. I asked what the dates meant and was told not to worry about it. Many of the families driving through were very grateful and thanked us while the others looked away or didnt say anything at all. I was really happy to serve the community and would enjoy going back.

Partnered with this organization with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I must say what an amazing…read moreevent it was. The idea behind it is amazing. I love that they ship the food packets across the world, but also keep some local. There was clear organization and explanation for the packing process. Due to the variety of jobs, any one at any age could volunteer here. I would love to come back and help with future packing.

My friend had introduced me to this organization a couple of years ago. On Thanksgiving evening we…read morewent and "packed" as many boxes as we could for people in Haiti. Pack Away Hunger has public packing events that you can form a team or just sign up individually. They also have sponsored packing events that are closed to the business, church, or civic groups. You just have to show up and they will train you on what you need to do. It's simple and easy to do. They will have stations that you will be assigned. I've sealed the bags, scooped the dried vegetables and I've also weighed the bags. They have other jobs like stacking the bags in boxes, scooping rice, and opening the bags. It's really a smooth process. It's a great way to help people out that are suffering from malnutrition and hunger. The lack of nutrients creates serious health effects in men, women and children. That's why each one of the Nutri-Plenty bags has rice and a dried vegetables with lots of nutrients added to it. The Nutri-Plenty bags are stacked into boxes and then shipped all over the world. If you get the chance to help pack it really is amazing to see how many the team can pack in one event. They have Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages as well as a website if you want more information on when the next public pack event will be. We packed almost 8,000 meals in one event. It's a great cause that will help so many!

Working at a food pantry truly gives you life perspective. If you aren't hungry and have a place to…read morego tonight, you're blessed, something I always try to keep in the back of my mind. You'd be surprised as to how many people don't have those luxuries (and yes, even people in Carmel). Families come into the food pantry all day and they're guided through the fruits, veggies, frozen food, frozen meats, breads, and dessert sections of the food pantry. Based on the number of family members they have to feed, they can select different amounts of each food item. The food pantry is often in need of those fresh fruits and veggies (especially in winter when they aren't getting the leftovers from the summer farmers market down the road). Toiletries are also always needed: deodorant, diapers, toilet paper, soaps, shampoo/conditioner, etc. Check their hours, then you can donate foods or sign up to volunteer and it's much appreciated.

We dropped off a few food items for someone in need. Great work team! I'll be back with more items…read moresoon.

I have gone to Anna's House for years. They always make you feel welcome. The staff and volunteers…read moreare wonderful, they treat you with respect and dignity. Produce is something that you don't normally get at a food pantry and theirs is fresher than a lot of stores. They always have a nice supply of it, among many other foods and supplies. Rebecca B.

My organization volunteers here monthly. This is an awesome place to volunteer. The staff and other…read morevolunteers are friendly and inviting. It is a busy day but it goes by really fast and you almost don't realize that you have been there for 3-4 hours. The Pantry has wonderful produce, meats, breads, and other items donated to them to give to those in need in the community. Some of the fruits and vegetables are fresher than some of the items I have seen in store. I love the fact that the food the people get is as desirable as food I would purchase in a store.

It seems unique to be able to come across a coupon for this store. I had one for a discount off an…read moreitem, so I decided to visit when school was not in session and hoped to find sale items. They shortened hours on Labor Day. From the outside, the place seems small with bigger items typically outside to grab drivers' attention. They have a variety of (new and used) merchandise including furniture. It is like a Goodwill store but more organized. I was told that the items were donated, and they do not have sales. I bought a lap desktop with folding legs and section holders; it would be so helpful especially when I tend to find writing utensils that have fallen between the couch cushions. Also, a green long-sleeve dress shirt caught my eyes so I had to go look at it, which happened to fit me; how could I resist buying this name-brand, attractive shirt! I used that coupon for the shirt, so I got more savings than for the desktop. There seem to be a couple of spots I would like to try to wash out of the shirt. So both $5 or less. Sold! When I got home, I realized that maybe the shirt was new because there was a spare button attached. I will see if the ink on the sleeve comes out. I think the store changed its name to Noble Cause (but still led by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul) and did change their hours to M, T, Th, and F 9-3 with Wed. and Sat. only to serve from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's food pantry. I would return when and if convenient but definitely if I get a coupon.

I am a avid thrifter all across central Indiana and this used to be one of my favorite places. They…read morehave hard to come to hours for the working person, but when I did come I used to spend $100 or more but today I was really disappointed to see their prices have gone way up. As a reseller the China and dish prices were so high nobody could get them in the hands of a collector at a decent price. Please revisit that and try not to compete with goodwill. I also noticed that usually the place is packed but this time hardly nobody was there and it may be the prices. Since it's hard for me to get here because of no evening hours if it continues I won't be back on a regular basis, it's sad because money goes to a decent cause but things need to be bargain prices not boutique.

On this beautiful #ThankYouThursday, I want to share some gratitude for Random Acts of Flowers!…read moreThis nonprofit accepts fresh flower and used vase donations, then creates pretty bouquets that they deliver to people in healthcare facilities. They're making peoples' days all around the city and I think it's such a rad mission. If you have a wedding or big event, you should definitely donate your florals to RAOF instead of tossing them afterwards so they can continue to spread joy. If you don't have flowers or vases to donate, you can volunteer to make the bouquets or create an event for your office or friend group to craft bouquets while you chat. Super fun and simple!

Random Acts of Flowers(RAF) is an amazing non-profit started by a guy named Larson who saw a need…read moreand immediately took action. This random act of kindness turned into Random Acts of Flowers... This organization has since grown to have locations not only in Indianapolis but also in the Knoxville and Tampa Bay areas. Over the years they've aided in the improved well-being of over 481,000 bouquet recipients nationwide!! This.is.AmAzInG!! Yesterday, through work, I had the opportunity to help create bouquets to be delivered at Eskenazi Health. Our goal was 125 bouquets, we surpass our goal and I couldn't be more thrilled! Feeling extremely blessed to have been apart of something that makes such a positive impact! Being a nonprofit they rely heavily on donations. Please up cycle your extra vases and unneeded floral arrangements. Together we can make a huge impact on someone recovering!