Demand for food assistance has increased this year and Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana is asking for volunteers to help keep up.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Marion County Public Health Department (MCPHD) Director Dr. Virginia Caine gave free face coverings Thursday to families through a partnership with Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana. The free face coverings were distributed in support of the countys new public health order, requiring all individuals to wear face coverings in public.

Food banks, pantries and other meal services are ramping up to help as the number of people in food lines grows, right when people are no longer allowed to stand in line.

Distribution will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Mondays and Fridays, beginning Friday, March 20. Families will receive one 17-pound box of food, which includes a variety of non-perishable meal-making items.

Anthem will provide funding over the next three years to support central Indiana programs, including senior shopping and mobile pantries.

Gleaners launched a new strategic plan called Food Bank of the Future which focuses on food quality and hunger impacts.

Over 2,000 volunteers gathered in Lucas Oil Stadium today in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for simultaneous sandwich-making.

Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana distributes an average of 30 million pounds of food each year. It's turning to retail giant Amazon for tips on how to move that food more efficiently, including an increasing amount of fresh fruits and vegetables.

During the holiday season attention often turns to the estimated one in six Hoosiers who are food insecure.

Indiana's first food bank-based health clinic is now open in Indianapolis.