Secret’s Out: Sharing the Good News of Our Good Work

When Chris Sutton began working at SVdP Indy, he was told the organization was one of the city’s “best-kept secrets.”

And ever since then, Sutton—SVdP Indy’s Director of Operations—has been on a mission to make the community more aware.

“We shouldn’t be one of the community’s best-kept secrets—we’re doing important work, and many people rely on the services we provide through our food pantries, the Distribution Center and the Love Your Neighbor Center,” he says.

And, with the community’s growing needs, he says that if SVdP Indy remains a “secret,” then we’re not able to help as many people as we’d like.

To help people in our community connect with SVdP Indy, Sutton and Heather Snyder, Director of Volunteer Services, began hosting “Discovery Days” at our 30th Street Food Pantry, Distribution Center and the Love Your Neighbor Center (LYNC).

They’ve hosted about a half-dozen Discovery Days over the past year. So far, it’s mainly been volunteers who are devoted to one part of the organization, but desire to grow in their understanding of how that part works in conjunction with SVdP Indy’s other services.

“Most people who have attended one of our Discovery Days are surprised to learn just how big our operations are—or how one part that they are familiar with is just one cog in the wheel of our services,” shares Sutton.

Each Discovery Day—a one-hour tour with snacks and a Q&A session—focuses on a different facility and function. The best way to get the whole picture of the organization, Sutton says, is to attend a Discovery Day at each of the locations: 30th Street Food Pantry, Distribution Center and LYNC.

“Those who have attended all three have more of an ‘aha’ moment, where they understand how each facility works with the others to meet the needs of those living on the streets or on the margins of our society,” Sutton says.

From Curiosity to Connection

Snyder says that while the Discovery Days have helped broaden our volunteers’ knowledge of SVdP Indy, they’d really like to bring in others who are less familiar with the organization.

“We set these up so those who are interested in the work we do can come in and see how we do it,” she says. “We show everyone what it takes to provide food for 4,500 people each week, or address various Helpline and Neighbor Services requests for household and basic living essentials, or help men rebuild their lives after being homeless.”

There’s no ask or recruitment during these Discovery Days. Instead, the focus is simply on sharing what community members are facing and how SVdP Indy helps.

“The goal is to share what we do and why and the role the broader community plays in allowing us to continue doing this work,” says Sutton.

2026 Discovery Day Schedule

Sign up to attend a Discovery Day session. And if you have an employee team, community organization or Conference that wants to bring a group in during a time not listed above, SVdP Indy is willing to schedule a customized Discovery Day. Simply reach out to Snyder at hsnyder@svdpindy.org.