With School Buildings Closed Nine13 Sports Changes Gears

Nine 13 Sports normally takes bicycles into learning environments to teach things like the importance of physical fitness.

It works with more than 60,000 students a year across central Indiana. When school buildings closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it switched to food delivery.

Executive Director Tom Hanley says he completely transformed his local health and fitness nonprofit. 

“We are working alongside Gleaners and Second Helpings and Indy Hunger Network, and we are actually providing at home delivery services for up to a thousand Marion County residents a week who don’t have the ability to get to a food pantry," says Hanley.

Hanley says his team is honored to be able to serve members of the community with a needed service.

“Though this is very different from what we signed up for, we all feel fortunate that we continue to plug in and serve members of the community," he says. "And while we are very eager to get back to using bikes, we will be part of this food delivery effort for as long it is needed in the city.”

While Nine 13 Sports was on target to serve over 60,000 students this year, it's now serving up at least 150,000 pounds of food throughout the community.