OUR TEAM

IHN Staff

We have a small but excellent team of staff, and are proud to be a Certified Good Wages Choice Employer. We value ensuring that our current and future employees have the resources they need to be successful inside and outside of the workplace. By providing healthcare and sustainable wages, we believe everyone benefits.

Megan Gendig

Cooking Matters Program Manager

Megan Songer is the Cooking Matters Program Manager for Indy Hunger Network. She graduated from IUPUI in 2016 with her B.S. in Public Health with an emphasis on Community Health. In her last year of college, she was a wellness intern at a camp for children from low-income families, where she realized how much Marion County struggles with food insecurity. Her favorite memory was having the children try smoothies; many of the children had never tried the fresh fruits and asked for more. That experience led her to join the Indy Hunger Network in April 2017 as an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Cooking Matters program, and she now oversees that program as a full-time staff member. Megan enjoys teaching others the importance of cooking a healthy, nutritious meal on a budget.

Kate Howe

Executive Director

Kate Howe joined the Indy Hunger Network as Managing Director in 2016. Kate has a B.A. in Biology from Macalester College, an M.S. in Ecology from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Washington. Before joining the Indy Hunger Network, Kate spent ten years with the Midwest Invasive Plant Network, another collective impact organization that was housed by The Nature Conservancy and Purdue University. She became interested in food insecurity through serving as a volunteer and board member for the Mid-North Food Pantry. After seeing the challenges of poverty and food insecurity up close, she became passionate about working to improve the hunger relief system for people in need of food assistance.

Caleb Kulinski

VISTA Coordinator & Interim Director of Advocacy

Caleb Kulinski is Indy Hunger Network’s VISTA Coordinator. He previously served as one of IHN’s VISTA members working on the Cooking Matters Program as part of their 2018-19 VISTA cohort. He is excited to be back with IHN and to continue supporting its vital mission in working to end hunger. Caleb has a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from Coe College, and a Masters in International Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He comes to IHN with a strong passion for public service and having had experience working with a variety of community stakeholders across Marion County. Caleb coordinates the VISTA program and facilitates professional development programming for VISTA members.

Tom Lageveen

Community Compass Coordinator

Tom Lageveen is the Community Compass Coordinator for Indy Hunger Network. After working in the service industry for years, Tom took a certification in Informatics through Ivy Tech. Looking for positive ways to apply his new training, he found a VISTA position at Indy Hunger Network working with Community Compass. He now continues to work as the Community Compass Coordinator.

Alex Sindorf

Food Assistance Programs Manager

Alex Sindorf is the Food Assistance Programs Manager for Indy Hunger Network. While studying for a B.S. in Urban Community Development in Portland, Oregon, Alex took a class on food ethics and has been involved with farming and other food-related work ever since. In her role with IHN, Alex works with the Food Pantry Network, Food Drop, Community Compass, SNAP & WIC Marketing, and other programs.

Ann-Marie Valdez

Cooking Matters Program Assistant

Ann–Marie Valdez is the Cooking Matters Program Assistant for Indy Hunger Network. She moved to Indianapolis in 2018 from San Diego, California. Once settled, she started volunterring at a local elementary school garden to help teach children about growing food and the benefits of healthy eating. While part of this program, she learned about the food insecurities that afflict our community. Ann–Marie and her two young children took the Cooking Matters course and she was immediately moved by the impact that the program had on the local community and became a volunteer. Ann–Marie is an avid gardener and cook who is always working to create healthy, tasty, and budget friendly meals for her family of four.

Megan Gendig

Cooking Matters Program Manager

Megan Songer is the Cooking Matters Program Manager for Indy Hunger Network. She graduated from IUPUI in 2016 with her B.S. in Public Health with an emphasis on Community Health. In her last year of college, she was a wellness intern at a camp for children from low-income families, where she realized how much Marion County struggles with food insecurity. Her favorite memory was having the children try smoothies; many of the children had never tried the fresh fruits and asked for more. That experience led her to join the Indy Hunger Network in April 2017 as an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Cooking Matters program, and she now oversees that program as a full-time staff member. Megan enjoys teaching others the importance of cooking a healthy, nutritious meal on a budget.

Kate Howe

Executive Director

Kate Howe joined the Indy Hunger Network as Managing Director in 2016. Kate has a B.A. in Biology from Macalester College, an M.S. in Ecology from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Washington. Before joining the Indy Hunger Network, Kate spent ten years with the Midwest Invasive Plant Network, another collective impact organization that was housed by The Nature Conservancy and Purdue University. She became interested in food insecurity through serving as a volunteer and board member for the Mid-North Food Pantry. After seeing the challenges of poverty and food insecurity up close, she became passionate about working to improve the hunger relief system for people in need of food assistance.

Caleb Kulinski

VISTA Coordinator

Caleb Kulinski is Indy Hunger Network’s VISTA Coordinator. He previously served as one of IHN’s VISTA members working on the Cooking Matters Program as part of their 2018-19 VISTA cohort. He is excited to be back with IHN and to continue supporting its vital mission in working to end hunger. Caleb has a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from Coe College, and a Masters in International Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He comes to IHN with a strong passion for public service and having had experience working with a variety of community stakeholders across Marion County. Caleb coordinates the VISTA program and facilitates professional development programming for VISTA members.

Tom Lageveen

Community Compass Coordinator

Tom Lageveen is the Community Compass Coordinator for Indy Hunger Network. After working in the service industry for years, Tom took a certification in Informatics through Ivy Tech. Looking for positive ways to apply his new training, he found a VISTA position at Indy Hunger Network working with Community Compass. He now continues to work as the Community Compass Coordinator.

Alex Sindorf

Food Assistance Programs Manager

Alex Sindorf is the Food Assistance Programs Manager for Indy Hunger Network. While studying for a B.S. in Urban Community Development in Portland, Oregon, Alex took a class on food ethics and has been involved with farming and other food-related work ever since. In her role with IHN, Alex works with the Food Pantry Network, Food Drop, Community Compass, SNAP & WIC Marketing, and other programs.

Ann-Marie Valdez

Cooking Matters Program Assistant

Ann–Marie Valdez is the Cooking Matters Program Assistant for Indy Hunger Network. She moved to Indianapolis in 2018 from San Diego, California. Once settled, she started volunterring at a local elementary school garden to help teach children about growing food and the benefits of healthy eating. While part of this program, she learned about the food insecurities that afflict our community. Ann–Marie and her two young children took the Cooking Matters course and she was immediately moved by the impact that the program had on the local community and became a volunteer. Ann–Marie is an avid gardener and cook who is always working to create healthy, tasty, and budget friendly meals for her family of four.

VISTA TEAM MEMBERS

Indy Hunger Network is proud to partner with AmeriCorps,
which provides funding to operate the AmeriCorps VISTA program.

Jack Hamilton

Jack Hamilton is the Development and Communications VISTA at Indy Hunger Network. Jack grew up in Franklin, Tennessee before moving to Indianapolis to attend Butler University, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communications. During college, he interned with the Butler College of Communications and worked with the Boys and Girls Club of Middle Tennessee, which were experiences that led him to pursue communications opportunities in the nonprofit space. Jack is excited to serve his community with Indy Hunger Network to help make food accessible for all in the Indianapolis area. After AmeriCorps, he plans to seek out new experiences in one of the various fields of communications. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, playing basketball, or just spending time with friends.

Maximillian Kim

Maximilian Kim is the Food Assistance Programs Coordinator VISTA at Indy Hunger Network. Max grew up in Maryland and went to school in Virginia where he gained his degree in International Politics and Government from George Mason University. Max has had a keen interest in working in the nonprofit sector for some time now and is looking forward to working at the Indy Hunger Network. Max has never been to Indiana before and is looking forward to moving there at the end of May. Max hopes to take his degree and make the world a better place and hopes VISTA and Indy Hunger Network are the next step in accomplishing this goal.

Terra McFarland

Terra McFarland is the Food Program and Community Liaison VISTA for the City of Indianapolis. Terra is a born and raised Indianapolis Hoosier where she earned her associates degree from Ivy Tech Community College in Business Administration, followed by her bachelors degree from IUPUI in Sustainable Management and Policy. On her free time, she likes to partake in a range of art-related activities such as writing, drawing or dancing. With a passion for protecting the Earth since middle school, she hopes the experience she will gain during her VISTA term will help her learn how to advocate for policy relating to solving food insecurity throughout Indianapolis in a sustainable manner. In the long-term, Terra hopes to play a part in creating a more sustainable and efficient system for everyone to have access to nutritious food, as she believes this is a human right.

Emily Patterson

Emily Patterson is the Cooking and Nutrition Education Coordinator VISTA at Indy Hunger Network. She recently graduated from IUPUI with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health and minors in Health Education, Spanish, and Hospitality Management. Emily also works professionally as a cook, and has spent the last 3 years working at multiple Patachou, Inc. restaurant concepts. She has also volunteered with Cooking Matters since 2018, and interned with the program in the spring semester of 2022. Emily discovered her love for Cooking Matters while volunteering through a public health class; the program brought together her biggest passions – cooking, fighting food insecurity, nutrition education and community organizing. The Indianapolis native hopes to bring her experience with the program combined with her Spanish language skills to make the most of her VISTA term and expand the Cooking Matters program throughout her hometown. After completing her VISTA term, she plans on continuing to fight food insecurity and other societal inequities that many communities face through community organizing. In her free time, Emily enjoys going to the gym and spending time with her family and friends playing tabletop games, video games, and watching TV and movies.

AMERICORPS ALUMNI

Indy Hunger Network has sponsored over 44 AmeriCorps VISTA members who served through the program. We are always excited to see our former members enter graduate school, find a new job, or reinvent their careers. Here’s a sampling of where our alumni have landed.

Maura Broderson
Second Helpings, 2017-2018
Creative Marketing Specialist,
WFYI Public Media

Azaria Brown
Westminster Neighborhood Services, 2019-2020
Freelance Copywriter, A Brown Creative LLC

Stasy César
CICOA, 2017-2018
Community Health Worker Screener,
Marion County Public Health Department

Claire Crosby
Indy Hunger Network, 2020-2021
Medical Student, Louisiana State University

Mackenzie Dafferner
CICOA, 2017-2018
Graduate student at Loyola University:
Public Health

Gabe Eckler
Westminster Neighborhood Services, 2021-2022

Baili Gall
Indy Hunger Network, 2017-2018
Graduate student at the University of Alabama: Biocultural Medical Anthropology

Cassandra Goodman
CICOA, 2021
Pursuing M.P.A. at IU-Bloomington

Adaline Heitz
Indy Hunger Network, 2019-2020
Medical Student, Indiana University School of Medicine

Maria Hinojosa
Indy Hunger Network 2021-2022

Hannah Hurt
Indy Hunger Network, 2020-2021
Community Insights Representative with the Food Bank of the Rockies

Lisa Joseph
Indy Hunger Network, 2019-2020
Pursuing M.S. in Health Promotion Management
Program Coordinator, American Society of Clinical Oncology

Emily Korte
CICOA, 2022
Graduate student at Northern Illinois University:
Nutrition and Dietetics

Caleb Kulinski
Indy Hunger Network, 2018-2019
VISTA Coordinator, Indy Hunger Network

Tom Lageveen
Indy Hunger Network 2021-2022
Community Compass Coordinator, Indy Hunger Network

Joel Landis
City of Indianapolis, 2018-2019
Planner, Maricopa County

Grant Moran
CICOA, 2021-2022

Becca Olson
CICOA, 2020-2021
Rental Assistance Navigator, Home of the Sparrow

Mary Owen
Gleaners Food Bank, 2021
Marion County Public Health Department

Ephraim Sy Palmero
City of Indianapolis, 2021-2022
Assistant Program Officer – Food Systems with LISC Indianapolis

Alyssa Parker
Gleaners Food Bank, 2021-2022
Graduate student at the American University:
Global Environmental Policy

Kristin Phillips
CICOA, 2021-2022
Stay-at-home mom

Grace Powers
CICOA, 2019-2020
Thrive to 5 Coordinator, Community Development for All People

Angela Richie
Indy Hunger Network 2021-2022
Graduate student at Ball State: Sociology

Abby Rolland
Second Helpings, 2016-2017
Fellow, Patterson Foundation

Skylar Rueff
City of Indianapolis, 2020-2021
Indy Food Council Program Officer, City of Indianapolis

Robyn Rowe
CICOA, 2019-2020
Care Manager, CICOA

Kathryn Slomski
Westminster Neighborhood Services, 2020-2021
Development Coordinator, Massachusetts General Hospital

Megan Songer
Indy Hunger Network, 2017-2018
Cooking Matters Program Manager,
Indy Hunger Network

Katherine Starr
CICOA, 2020-2021
Graduate student in Economics at West Virginia University

Madeline Steck
Indy Hunger Network, 2018-2019
Program Analyst Trainee, US Department of Housing and Urban Development

Jessica Sullivan
Indy Hunger Network, 2016-2017
Senior Consulting Associate,
Kaiser Permanente

Sarah Wewe
Gleaners Summer Associate, 2022
Graduate student at University of Indianapolis:
Public Health