By Tom Spalding, Communications Volunteer
Have you read our updated annual report, released just in time for 2026? The report is a full-color, two-sided brochure available in both print and digital formats that recap the 2024-25 fiscal year, which concluded Sept. 30, 2025.
The Boulevard Place Food Pantry serves as a vital community resource in Indianapolis, functioning as a non-profit special work under the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Indianapolis chapter. In the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the Pantry served 18,088 households.
The Pantry combats hunger through a multifaceted collaboration strategy that integrates religious organizations, local businesses, educational institutions and government programs to secure both food and financial resources.
This organization provides emergency food assistance through a mix of drive-up and in-person shopping sessions held three days a week (Wednesdays: drive-up only, Thursdays and Saturdays: in-person shopping). Ranked as one of the busiest pantries in Marion County, the Pantry utilizes a point system based on household size to ensure fair distribution of groceries. (More details below.)
The Pantry’s operations are sustained by financial contributions, food donations and strong partnerships with five primary Catholic parishes and dozens of other civic groups and contributors. Community members are encouraged to support the mission by volunteering their time or providing monetary donations to help combat local hunger.
Many of you are our friends on Facebook, and we’re also proud to be part of the svdpindy.org website, where we tell new behind-the-scenes stories that convey our mission of emergency food relief and provide a way to donate directly to our efforts.
The pantry’s collaborative efforts include the following key areas:
Foundational Parish Support: The Pantry’s annual budget and core operations are sustained by five primary Catholic parishes: Christ the King (CTK), Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), St. Joan of Arc (SJOA), St. Luke the Evangelist (StL) and St. Thomas Aquinas (STA). These partners provide significant material support. For instance, in the 2025 fiscal year, these five parishes alone donated 62,228 pounds of food.
- School: Pounds of food in FY25 compared to FY24
- Christ the King: 10,734 / 10,216
- Immaculate Heart of Mary: 22,487 / 22,994
- St. Luke: 18,346 / 13,951
- St. Joan of Arc: 4,511 / 3,371
- St. Thomas Aquinas: 6,135 / 4,841
We could not do what we do without support from other compassionate and collaborative religious organizations, such as St. Simon the Apostle Catholic Church, Meridian Street United Methodist Church (MSUM), Fairview, Common Ground and the Unitarian Universalists of Indianapolis, among many!
The chart shows the quantity of food from each parish through 2024. We are appreciative of all that is collected on our behalf!
Key Sources of Food: This chart presents annual pounds of food purchased from Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and pounds of food donated from Second Helpings, the Indianapolis Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program), a program of the United States Department of Agriculture. Thanks to Gleaners, we now also have a “Vivery” profile, which helps with raising awareness.
In 2024, USDA/TEFAP donations totaled more than 30% of the food we received. Historically, the pantry has served people living in areas associated with the five parishes. Beginning March 2025, to continue receiving USDA/TEFAP donations (212,000 pounds in 2024), we no longer have boundaries. Without boundaries, we are serving record numbers of shoppers.
Partnerships: The Pantry works locally with:
- Broad Ripple Farmers Market: Local agricultural partners, such as Full Hand Farm, donate fresh produce through this market collaboration year-round. (The cover of our newest brochure, published for 2026, is of Genesis McKiernan-Allen of Full Hand Farm in Noblesville, one of the BRFM vendors who allows us to glean.)
- Local Food Businesses:Establishments like the Illinois Street Food Emporium, Rise ’n’ Roll Bakery and Hoagies & Hops contribute through direct donations or creative events like food drives and hot dog-eating contests. In the ’25 fiscal year, several other organizations reached out to support us, with food and/or donations: Goldleaf/Catron Realty, MKNA, Riviera Club, PORCH, Safeway, Woodstock Club, Tarkington Tower, Innovid, Gateway neighborhood, Triumph Boxing, the town of Rocky Ripple, Goose the Market, KurlyKoils, Taylor Made Wellness, SHarP Gardens, Beirman Autism Centers, Fairview Early Childhood program and Girl Scouts, along with many generous individuals.
- Local Schools and Student Groups: They serve as a vital source of labor and targeted food drives. In addition to year-round contributions by the five supporting schools, we were recipients of generosity from International School, Butler University, CFI 84, Heron School and Bishop Chatard.
- The Marion County Master Gardener Association: This organization provides horticultural support, assisting us with lovely landscaping.
By serving as Marion County’s fifth-busiest food pantry in 2023, Boulevard Place Food Pantry acts as a central hub where time, talent and treasure from diverse community partners.
How Shopping Works
The number of grocery items a shopper may select at Boulevard Place Food Pantry is determined by a point system based on family size. This system regulates the selection process at each visit to ensure equitable, tailored food distribution for each household. To assist shoppers with this process, the pantry provides the following:
- Frequency of Shopping:All individuals are welcome to shop once per week and can choose the specific day they wish to visit.
- Volunteer Assistance:Client shoppers/helpers are available to guide portion sizes, balancing nutrition and choosing items from the frozen food section. We usually have 7 to 12 volunteers per shift, with the number fluctuating depending on need. We have over 125 volunteers on our roster!
- Nutritional Guidance:The pantry utilizes tools like the SWAP (Supporting Wellness At Pantries) ranking system to help shoppers identify health-supporting foods—such as those low in saturated fat, sodium and added sugars—while they navigate their point-based selections.
Boulevard Place Food Pantry
Mission Statement: Providing emergency food to people in need in our community and surrounding area
The Boulevard Place Food Pantry is a work of St. Vincent de Paul and is located at the intersection of 42nd Street and Boulevard Place (4202 Boulevard Pl., Indianapolis, IN 46208).
Sponsored by five Catholic parishes on the northside of Indianapolis, it provides emergency food for those in need.
A family representative may come once a week to receive between 17 or 25 items (depending on family size) of food or supplies (such as soap, personal items, and diapers).
Recipients are offered a choice of items, except on the Wednesday drive-up when they receive a pre-packed order.
The pantry is open:
- Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. noon (drive up only)
- Thursday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (inside shopping)
- Saturday: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. noon (inside shopping)
Volunteers in this ministry check in clients, fill orders, stock shelves, pack and sort food, and help clean the pantry. We need people who can give 4-20 hours per month.
For more information, contact the Pantry Director at blvdplacedirector@svdpindy.org or call (317) 924-3461. To learn more about the Pantry’s history, check out this documentary.
