Colts Fans Win Jim Irsay Challenge, Raise $1.3 million For Food Bank

Jim Irsay and the Indianapolis Colts ponied up a lot of cash in the opening days of free agency.

But no check was more important or more impressive than the $1 million he signed over to the Gleaners Food Bank.

Indianapolis Colts fans met a challenge from Jim Irsay by raising more than $200,000 for the Indiana food bank.

In fact, Colts Nation blew past that target in under 24 hours.

WE DID IT! Over $300k raised for @GleanersFBIndy.@JimIrsay just added $1 MILLION to that total. pic.twitter.com/tIL2RfLPDa

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) March 17, 2020

That amount triggered an additional $1 million donation from Jim Irsay.

Gleaners expects its services to be needed more than ever in the weeks and months ahead.

Thousands of Hoosiers find themselves out of work or caring for children normally fed at school.

That prompted an appeal for help in the face of the ongoing Covid-19 emergency.

Irsay pledged his first donation, fully expecting his fellow Hoosiers to meet their initial goal.

“I am so proud of our community and so proud to call Indianapolis home because Hoosiers come together, whether in times of celebration or in times of great need. Today is no different,” Irsay said.

What´s Going On? 

The greater Indianapolis area expects to be hit as hard as any other part of the world by the Coronavirus.

Non-essential businesses will close if they have not already.

Closed schools affect more than the educational process for millions of school-aged children.

Many schools feed children as part of their regular day.

Food Banks and other programs are trying to ramp up their workforces in response.

FYI: Gleaners Community Food Bank in #Detroit is looking to hire people as the #coronavirus pandemic impacts schools 🚨 pic.twitter.com/plTuVvfSuh

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 13, 2020

But they need additional funding and other resources to meet the demand.

Gleaners Food Bank is no exception.

Hundreds of thousands of Indiana residents already rely on Gleaners for food assistance.

Since its inception in 1980, Gleaners estimates it distributed 360 million pounds of food.

Gleaners is a member of the Feeding America network, the national food bank system of the United States.

The Indiana organization works with 600 smaller food distribution groups in the state.

They also deliver meals directly to some of Indiana´s most vulnerable citizens through a variety of programs.

Those programs include the BackSacks: Weekend Food for Kids, School-Based Pantry, Mobile Pantry, Summer Meals for Kids, and Senior Hunger Initiative Programs, among others.

It´s Never Too Late to Help

Gleaners Food Bank will undoubtedly exhaust its funding in the near future.

That means they can use even more help.

Readers can donate additional funds HERE. 

There is no word yet on whether Jim Irsay or the Indianapolis Colts will further match donations.

But that doesn´t diminish the value of your donations.

Gleaners anticipate the need for more volunteers in the months ahead, too.

Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana is working overtime putting together emergency family meal boxes and is experiencing a shortage of volunteers. https://t.co/lkWLMSWB1X

— WISH-TV (@WISH_TV) March 14, 2020

Sign up to join the Gleaners Food Bank effort HERE. 

Irsay knew Colts fans would meet his first challenge.

And he knows they will continue to work together generously and joyfully in the face of Indiana´s latest challenge.

“We hope that anyone who is able to help in some way, will do so,” Irsay said. “And when we come through all this, we will do so together as an even better and stronger community.”