• Nonprofits
  • Corporate
  • Volunteers
  • Resources
  • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • About

Accelerating Change: Patachou Foundation

Acclerating Change: The Impact of Pro Bono on the Fight To End Hunger. Patachou Foundation

Overview

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, Indianapolis saw a stark uptick in concentrated poverty. Downtown Indianapolis—with coffee shops and farm-to-table restau­rants—continues to enjoy a developing cultural scene, but other regions of the city face a mounting crisis. Indianapolis was recently ranked worst in the country for food access1, and a study by Feeding America reported that 19.4 percent of Marion County (primarily Indianapolis) faces food inse­curity, compared to the national average of 15.4 percent2. Many residents have to walk over one mile to reach their nearest grocery store, pushing them to rely on snacks from gas stations instead of fresh, healthy produce.

About Patachou

The Patachou Foundation is a mainstay of the Indianap­olis community, working to undo the effects of food insecu­rity and inaccessibility in the city. Using the Patachou, Inc. restaurant’s production kitchen, the Patachou Foundation prepares and serves high-quality meals, while volunteer educators and chefs teach kids about both nutrition and food preparation. Patachou maintains this labor-intensive operation with a roster of skilled volunteers—many of whom are professional restaurant workers—who prepare and serve around 350 meals per week.

Pro Bono at All Levels

The Patachou Foundation has used high-impact pro bono support in many ways at their organization. Hunger nonprofits often tackle several deep-seated issues at once, from poverty to food access to nutrition. Patachou wanted to tell this story succinctly but was struggling to tie together all the pieces that comprise hunger issues. To do this, they connected with Eli Lilly and Company’s Elanco branch for a communi­cations project. Giving back to the community, Eli Lilly con­ducted a training for Patachou’s executive team and board of directors, which involved a one-day seminar and ‘Think on Your Feet’ coaching on communication. Patachou now has crisp and succinct messaging which has resulted in clearer communications across the organization.

Complete the form below to download this case study.

Download now

Complete and submit the form below to access the full content.

Related Case Studies

Amy Elrod Lahti

People of Pro Bono: Amy Elrod-Lahti

As an Organizational Development Professional, Amy Elrod-Lahti thrives from solving people’s tough problems. That, coupled with a need to give back, led her to seek out pro bono service.  

Robert Berger People of Pro BOno

People of Pro Bono: Robert Berger

See how Robert, a strategy consultant, has made an impact in his community by helping nonprofits measure the effectiveness of their programs in order to apply for more funding.

Let’s stay in touch

Sign up to receive news and updates about pro bono service.

Join
    • Nonprofits
    • Corporate
    • Volunteers
    • Philanthropy Through Taproot
    • Resources
    • Case Studies
    • Blog
    • Press
    • About
    • Taproot Plus
    • Events
    • Supporters
    • Donate
    • Careers
    • Contact us
    • FAQs

Enabling a world where social good organizations have the resources they need to fulfill their missions.

2023 Taproot FoundationTerms Privacy