Fueling yourself while studying is a challenge. For thousands of adult learners at The Excel Center® in Indianapolis, Gleaners2Go is making that part of the journey easier.
Student Ella Black says her path to a diploma hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth every step. Just a year ago, she was navigating grief, constant relocation and balancing the demands of adult life.
“My life’s been really hectic, moving around a lot and different struggles that came up,” she shared. “I lost my grandmother in July, and my dad two years before that.”
When Ella moved back to Indianapolis, she enrolled at The Excel Center, a free high school for adults that provides academic support and real-life resources to help students succeed.
Since 2010, more than 8,000 students have graduated through the program, increasing their earning potential and their confidence in the process.
“Coming to The Excel Center, it’s put me in a routine,” Ella said. “I can have an everyday thing, where I can focus on this and I don’t have to focus on the things that sadden me.”
Now just three classes away from graduation, Ella is acing Algebra II and U.S. History, and making the honor roll for the first time in her life. Her bedroom walls are adorned with the accomplishment.
“I never made the honor roll before I came here. Now, I’m on the honor roll,” she said. “I hung everything up and showed it to my fiance like, look what I did!”
But that kind of academic focus comes with a price. Ella, who helps support a family of four alongside one other household earner, has much less time to work as she pursues her education. In a busy schedule, even going to the grocery store is a sacrifice.
“It’s hard to adult, come to school, work, and take care of kids,” said Courtney Caldwell, who is a life coach at The Excel Center. “So we try to be that positive reinforcement. Any minute we can save them is crucial.”
Access to healthy, nutritious food is one of the heaviest burdens adult students face. To help lift that burden, The Excel Center partnered with Gleaners Food Bank to launch Gleaners2Go, a weekly grocery program tailored to the lives of busy adult students.
It works like this: students place their grocery order through a link on Thursday and pick it up the following Tuesday, right at school. No extra stops. No waiting in long lines. No wondering if the food will run out.
“The process is so simple,” Courtney explained. “They just give me their phone number and email, and I walk them through it if they need help. Ordering takes maybe 10 minutes. They can do it during lunch and be back to class in no time.”
Before Gleaners2Go, Courtney and other staff handled what they could: delivering food to students’ homes, collecting emergency kits, or reaching out to local pantries.
But the need was constant and the options were limited.
“It used to be maybe we’d have a couple cans of something,” Courtney said. “Now, it’s fresh produce, eggs, milk, meats—it’s not just shelf-stable stuff. It’s nutritious, and our students are so thankful.”
Studies back up what Courtney and Ella already know: without a high school education, food insecurity is far more likely. The USDA found that children in households headed by someone without a high school diploma were more than six times as likely to experience food insecurity than those led by someone with a college degree.
That’s why Gleaners2Go doesn’t just feed students. It fuels their future.
“Every day is just busy,” Courtney said. “And those moments matter. Being able to remove even one barrier can make all the difference.”
And for Ella, that difference is personal. With a diploma now clearly in sight, she knows she’s not just doing this for herself.
“This is something I know my grandma and father would be proud of,” she said.
Madison Stacey is the digital marketing specialist at Gleaners.