When Sophie DeWael arrived at Second Helpings this summer as a McKinney Climate Fellow, she knew she’d gain valuable professional experience. What she didn’t expect was how much variety her summer placement would bring.
In less than three months, DeWael developed an online dashboard, wrote a successful grant, and participated in daily operations at the Indianapolis-based nonprofit. The experience reaffirmed her interest in sustainable food as a career path and gave Second Helpings a boost toward becoming a more sustainable organization.
Second Helpings, a nonprofit that has fought hunger and food waste in Central Indiana for 27 years, rescues surplus food and delivers more than one million meals each year to nonprofits serving children, seniors, and others in need. The organization also runs a culinary job training program—and, increasingly, is focused on long-term sustainability.
Measuring progress, however, requires accessible data. To create an online dashboard that tracks both the environmental benefits Second Helpings has achieved over its history and its current carbon footprint, DeWael turned into a data sleuth, searching high and low for relevant information.
“There were a couple times where I didn’t think I had enough information, but I was able to reach out to people and discover data people didn’t know existed,” DeWael said. “It’s been great to see what you can get done just by talking to people and looking through some old files.”
The dashboard features data on emissions prevented through food rescue, as well as current emissions from operations like building energy use, fleet vehicles, and kitchen equipment. It also highlights waste diversion rates, ongoing green initiatives, and future goals.
But DeWael’s experience wasn't confined to behind-the-scenes work. The Fortville, Indiana native jumped into nearly every aspect of Second Helpings’ operations, from rescuing and sorting food to helping prepare meals in the kitchen.
When the need arose for someone to lead a grant application with the potential to fund energy efficiency upgrades at the organization, she dove right in. A few weeks later, DeWael found out the grant, awarded through the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability’s “Thriving Nonprofits” program, was successful and will provide matching funds of up to $10,000 for facility upgrades.
“It was great to be able to work on this grant with the facilities manager as one of my first projects,” DeWael said. “It helped me get to know the organization and the space a bit more.”
Nora Spitznogle, the nonprofit’s chief program officer and DeWael’s supervisor, praised her contributions.
“She is just a joy,” Spitznogle said. “She fit right in with the culture here and really got to work. I don’t get a lot of college kids—her research and critical thinking skills are sharp.”
For DeWael, the fellowship helped her realize that impactful sustainability work doesn’t just happen in Washington, D.C. or at a global nonprofit.
“There are so many ways to improve sustainability in the community around you,” she said.
About the Environmental Resilience Institute
Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute connects a broad coalition of government, business, nonprofit, and community leaders to help Indiana and the Midwest better prepare for the challenges of environmental change. Together, we integrate research, education, and community to create environmental resilience and climate solutions—building a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future. Learn more at eri.iu.edu.
