7th Annual Indy Burger Battle, July 27, 2019 @indyburgers

By Bob Burchfield, Editor
AroundIndy.com, LLC

The 7th annual Indy Burger Battle is scheduled for Saturday, July 27, 2019, from 1 to 4 pm (VIP entry at 12 pm), on the west block of Georgia Street in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.

This event features 16 local restaurants competing for the title of Best Burger by offering sample sliders to event patrons. Patrons may sample the burgers and vote for their favorite. Local celebrity judges will also pick their favorite.

Upon entry each guest receives a battle card which allows you to try one burger from every restaurant. Each restaurant’s logo is displayed on the battle card along with a select group of sponsor logos. Tickets also include one complimentary pour of beer courtesy of local brewery partners (or soda or water for those under 21).

All proceeds from the Indy Burger Battle benefit Building Tomorrow, an Indianapolis based non-profit galvanizing communities to support thriving schools in underserved areas. Building Tomorrow’s goal is to ensure all children access an inclusive, quality education; the organization currently reaches over 100,000 students in rural Uganda. 

Tickets for this event are $30 ($35 at the gate, $10 ages 6-12, $50 VIP) and are available on Building Tomorrow’s Web site at this address: https://www.buildingtomorrow.org/happenings/indy-burger-battle/.

Please note that tickets are not refundable. If the event is canceled due to inclement weather, your ticket purchase will be considered a donation to Building Tomorrow.

For more information, visit http://indyburgerbattle.com, or call 317-632-3545.

FAIRS Care Drive-Thru Food Drive at the @indystatefair, March 20, 2018

Canned goods, dry goods, and monetary donations welcome at the FAIRS Care Food Drive. AroundIndy.com staff photo.

By Sharon Smith
Indiana State Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. 2/28/18 – In honor of National Ag Day on March 20, 2018, the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center and its FAIRS Care program needs your help to provide much needed food relief for the community’s food pantry source, Gleaners Food Bank.

The “FAIRS Care Drive-Thru Food Drive” will be held on Tuesday, March 20 from 6:30-9:30 AM and 3-6 PM at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center, Fall Creek Pavilion Parking Lot (located inside the main entrance off Fall Creek Parkway), at the Gate 6 entrance.

Donors who bring canned and dry goods or monetary donations to the Fairgrounds will receive one complimentary ticket (limited to the first 250 donors) to the 2018 Indiana State Fair to be held Aug 3-19.

Suggested nonperishable food items include canned meats like tuna and chicken, soups and ravioli, canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter and jelly and macaroni and cheese.

“We’re told that Gleaners sees a decline in food donations in March making it a perfect opportunity to host this drive leading up to National Ag Day,” said Cindy Hoye, executive director of the Indiana State Fair Commission. “Our team members take great pride in giving back and supporting fellow Hoosiers in need and I couldn’t be prouder of this initiative.”

In addition to the “FAIRS Care Drive-Thru Food Drive” two events being held in March at the Fairgrounds will offer attendees an incentive to donate canned or dry goods to benefit Gleaners Food Bank.

On Monday, March 12, individuals who bring canned or dry goods to the Indiana Flower & Patio Show held in the Expo Hall and West Pavilion will receive a $4 discount on admission.

On Saturday, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day), individuals who bring GREEN canned or dry goods (green beans, peas, spinach, lentil soup, etc.) to the 7:35 PM Indy Fuel v. Toledo Walleyes “St. Patrick’s Day” game at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum will receive an Indy Fuel promotional item, while supplies last.

For more information, visit http://indianastatefair.com, or call 317-927-7500.

8th Annual Jersey Mike’s Month of Giving in March 2018 @jerseymikes

Image provided by the event organizers and used with written permission.

By Kyle Potvin
On behalf of Jersey Mike’s

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 21, 2018 – Indiana Sports Corp – Inspiring Sports Equipment for Kids is joining forces with eight Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurants in the Indianapolis area for the 8th Annual March “Month of Giving” campaign to fund local charities. During the month of March, customers can make a donation to Indiana Sports Corp at participating restaurants.

The campaign will culminate in Jersey Mike’s “Day of Giving” on Wednesday, March 28, 2018, when the area Jersey Mike’s restaurants give 100 percent of the day’s sales – not just profit – to Indiana Sports Corp.

On Day of Giving, local Jersey Mike’s owners and operators throughout the country will donate their resources and every single dollar that comes in to more than 170 different charities including hospitals, youth organizations, food banks and more.

In 2017, Indianapolis area Jersey Mike’s locations raised $23,477 for the campaign.

“I would like to extend a personal invitation to you and your family to visit Jersey Mike’s Subs throughout the month of March, and especially on Day of Giving when 100 percent of sales – every penny – will help support neighborhood needs,” said Peter Cancro, Jersey Mike’s founder and CEO, who started the company when he was only 17 years old.

For a list of participating restaurants in your area and for more information on our charity partners, please visit our charity listing by state. Everyone is invited to come in to a local Jersey Mike’s restaurant and enjoy a delicious sub meal.

Last year’s Month of Giving campaign raised more than $5.5 million for local charities nationwide. An astounding $4.6 million of that amount was raised on Day of Giving alone. Since 2010, Jersey Mike’s locations throughout the country have raised more than $28 million for worthy local charities and distributed more than 2 million free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes.

For more information about Jersey Mike’s Subs Month of Giving, please visit: www.jerseymikes.com/mog.

Kubota Donates Tractor to Brandywine Creek Farms @BCFIndiana

By Bob Burchfield, Editor
AroundIndy.com, LLC

This morning I was at Brandywine Creek Farms north of Greenfield, Indiana, for a very special event involving Jonathan Lawler (Executive Director at the farm) and Amanda Mattix Lawler (Director of Volunteer Outreach).

Kubota Tractor Corporation presented Jonathan and Amanda with a donated Kubota L3301 tractor and a Land Pride implement in a special recognition ceremony for their dedication to growing and donating fresh produce to feed the less fortunate in our community.

The 58-acre Brandywine Creek Farms donates the food it produces to local food pantries, including Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Inc., Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen, Flanner House of Indianapolis, and other such organizations.

The tractor was donated as part of the Kubota Cares program, dedicated to powering and empowering those who move the earth.

There were several guests present from the Board of Directors of Brandywine Creek Farms, Kubota Tractor Corporation, McCallister, and local media, including:

• Steven Payn
  Director, Northern Division Manager, Kubota Tractor Corporation
• Jeremy Cook
  District Sales Manager, Kubota Tractor Corporation
• Jon Brookbank
  Regional Sales Manager, Kubota Tractor Corporation
• Drue Gray
  Parts Merchandising and Training Manager, Kubota Tractor Corporation
• Tim Kinslow
  McCallister
• Gabe Nix
  Board of Directors, Brandywine Creek Farms

And I also found that Jonathan and I have a mutual acquaintance in Brandon Cosby! Small world!

Congratulations to Jonathan and Amanda on a most deserving award!

Million Meal Marathon at Lucas Oil Stadium, Oct. 10, 2017

Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2008, all rights reserved.

By Angela Tuell
On behalf of the Million Meal Marathon

INDIANAPOLIS – The 7th annual Million Meal Marathon, presented by Strada Education Network (formerly USA Funds), and the Indianapolis Colts, will bring together more than 3,000 community members with the intent of packing 1 million nutritious meals for Indiana’s hungry in a single day.

This year’s event will take place 9 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 10, 2017, at Lucas Oil Stadium and is in partnership with the Indianapolis Colts for their Colts Community Day.

The Million Meal Marathon, includes volunteers from corporate sponsor organizations, local civic groups, churches, Indianapolis-area schools and families. Volunteers work in four two-hour shifts, alongside Indianapolis Colts players and cheerleaders, to hand-package nutritious meals for hungry Hoosiers. Meal packs include 21 essential vitamins and minerals, a blend of six dehydrated vegetables, enriched soy with 52 percent protein and 10 vitamins, plus white, high-quality rice, and can be prepared by just adding boiling water. During the Million Meal Marathon, volunteers will add the dry ingredients to plastic bags, weigh, seal and box them in teams of 10-12.

One hundred percent of this year’s meals packed will be distributed to food banks in Indiana to feed the one in five Hoosier children who are food insecure and their families. Midwest Food Bank and Gleaners will pick-up the packaged meals throughout the day to deliver to their Indianapolis warehouses, where they will then be distributed to food pantries across the state.

The day wouldn’t be possible without the help of hundreds of volunteers. For more information about volunteering, enrolling a group to volunteer or sponsoring a table, visit www.MillionMealMovement.org.

Additional sponsors include Best, Arbor Homes, Charles Schwab, City Barbeque, Shelby Materials, Certa Pro, Capital Container Company, Print Resources, JR Sandadi, and Brown and Brown.

The Million Meal Marathon is a program of Million Meal Movement, a humanitarian food aid organization that feeds the hungry at home while teaching our children and communities the power of volunteerism. Launched in 2007, the organization has provided nearly 28 million life-saving, highly nutritious meals to hungry families in Indiana and around the world, all packaged by volunteers. In Indiana alone, 1 million people don’t know where they’ll get their next meal.

For more information about the Million Meal Marathon, visit www.millionmealmovement.org.