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help feed government employees laid off during furloughs , and he was contacted by Ofcacek during the early months of the pandemic regarding his outreach in Southern Indiana . With the grant provided by the LEE Initiative , and the aid of corporate donations from organizations like Creation Gardens , Indianapolis-based McFarling Foods , and a local church food bank , what started with displaced service-industry workers spread to more local residents in need .

“ Joe [ Phillips ] was one of the first to reach out to us wanting to help serve community meals , and so it was great to see local businesses that were willing to create meals and help their community ,” Lee adds . “ I believe that hospitality starts at home and so many local restaurants stood up and helped during the pandemic .”

Because Phillips didn ’ t have enough room at Pints & Union , he reached out to his landlord and repaired the walk-in cooler at the now-closed Hull and Highwater building to use it as a distribution center . People could drive through for contactless delivery of not only boxes of groceries , but diapers , baby formula , feminine hygiene products and other necessities as well . There also were deliveries made for those who couldn ’ t leave their homes .

“ I wanted to do more than a hot meal because everyone was doing that and that ’ s not going to solve the problem ,” Phillips says . “ I wanted to be able to fill people ’ s pantry and feed them on some level for a week . … We realized these people have neighbors ( and ) these people have families . We were trying to reach them from every angle that we could . It was pretty involved .”

The initiative lasted about six months , and Phillips estimates they were able to feed on average 50 to 200 people or families a week throughout Kentuckiana .

“ If I got a message on Facebook that somebody needed something , and if I could do it , I did it , no questions asked ,” Phillips says . “ If I have the means to help , I ’ m going to . I have a building , I had product . It was the first modern American pandemic . Society ’ s never seen anything like this in America . There was very little leadership . Nobody was really filling the shoes or stepping up – and I ’ m ex-military . I ’ m a soldier to my people , not to a political party , and I have four kids . What did you do during history ? Your kids are going to ask some day , and this is what we chose to do .”

16 EXTOL : AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021