Sixteen years.
That’s how wide the life expectancy gap can be between neighborhoods right here in Marion County. A child born in one ZIP code might live into their eighties, while a child just a few miles away may not reach their late sixties.
For Black Hoosiers, this isn’t an abstract statistic – it’s a lived reality. It’s the outcome of generations of systemic inequities that touch every part of life: access to healthcare, quality education, safe housing, and one of the most overlooked factors of all – nutrition.
When we talk about “Health Equity Zones,” we’re not talking about theory. We’re talking about our streets, our neighbors, our children. We’re talking about the difference between communities with plentiful grocery stores and those with convenience stores as the only option.
In some parts of Indianapolis, families live in what public health experts call food deserts – areas where healthy, affordable food is scarce or inaccessible without reliable transportation. In others, families live in food swamps, surrounded by fast food and processed options that are quick, cheap, and nutritionally empty.
The result? Entire generations of Hoosiers are growing up on calories instead of nourishment.
Poor nutrition doesn’t just cause hunger. It causes fatigue, anxiety, and chronic disease. It keeps students from focusing in class, adults from thriving at work and families from breaking cycles of poverty.
At VOICES, we see the impact of nutrition – or the lack of it – every single day.
Through our Day Reporting program and our programs at Jake’s Place and Blossom House, we provide consistent, nutritious meals to young people navigating some of life’s toughest challenges. For many, those meals are more than sustenance; they’re stability. They’re the difference between starting the day with energy or exhaustion, between feeling cared for or forgotten.
Food is one of the most basic ways we communicate value. When a child sits down to a warm meal, surrounded by people who see and support them, it says: You matter. You belong. You are worthy of care.
And yet, that care is being tested again.
The Trump administration’s recent decision to pause the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—which helps millions of families put food on the table—sent shockwaves through communities already stretched to the breaking point.
For households in Central Indiana, the sudden halt means uncertainty and fear. Grocery prices remain high, paychecks haven’t kept pace with inflation and the safety net that once helped families bridge the gap has frayed almost completely.
At VOICES, our food pantry, Marsha’s Closet, is seeing that impact up close. In 2025 alone, we’ve distributed more than 16,000 pounds of food to nearly 1,000 families across 13 ZIP codes, from 46201 to 46256. Each number represents a face, a story, a family doing everything right but still struggling to make ends meet.
That 16-year difference in life expectancy isn’t fate. It’s policy. Its proximity. It’s poverty.
It’s what happens when generations of Black Hoosiers have been systematically excluded from opportunity – from redlined neighborhoods to underfunded schools to disinvestment in public health.
But the good news is this: the gap isn’t inevitable. It’s bridgeable.
Every act of nourishment, every investment in access, every meal served through programs like VOICES brings us one step closer to closing that gap. Because when we meet basic needs, we unlock potential. We strengthen families. We give people back years of their lives.
Right now, VOICES is feeding more than 200 people every month through our pantry and community programs. It costs just $400 to sustain that work for an entire month – $400 to ensure 200 of our neighbors have the meals they need to focus, heal, and grow.
When you give to VOICES, you’re not just filling plates; you’re filling futures. You’re investing in the belief that every young person, regardless of ZIP code, deserves the chance to thrive. Because the difference between surviving and thriving often starts with something as simple as dinner. And in a city as rich with heart and hope as Indianapolis, no one should have to lose 16 years of life because of what’s missing on their plate.
Join us in giving the gift of food this holiday season. Make a donation at voicescorp.org today!
Kia Wright is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of VOICES Corporation, a Black-led, Indianapolis-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering youth and families through culturally sustaining education, healing-centered engagement, and workforce development. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of juvenile justice, social work, and community leadership, Wright has led VOICES in serving thousands across Indiana, creating pathways for economic self-sufficiency, civic engagement, and systemic change.
