Pacers coach Rick Carlisle using finals platform to bring awareness to food insecurity in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — At the NBA Finals, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle is trying to shine a light on what he considers an important cause.

Carlisle often has been seen wearing a QR code on his shirt — one that directs interested scanners to a site for his Drive & Dish initiative, something he founded about two years ago to raise money for battling food insecurity across Indiana.

So far, the program has raised more than $1 million. Carlisle and the Pacers have also made donations to the charity, which served more than 1,000 households and distributed more than 250,000 pounds of food in in its first year.

“Each year we’ve been able to help more people,” Carlisle said Friday night before Game 4 of the finals between the Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. “People in Indiana should never have to deal with food insecurity. There’s plenty of food in Indiana. The challenge is logistics. So, this charity helps with logistics.”

The program has partnered with Spokenote, which provides the technology behind the scannable code. The Pacers and Spokenote also collaborated last year on the first scannable code on a jersey in the four U.S. major pro sports leagues.

Another partner is the Gleaners food bank, which works with Drive & Dish in providing fresh food, produce, eggs and more to families who need help. Carlisle said when the program started, about 1 million people in the state were considered food insecure — or in other words, unsure where their next meal was coming from.

The Pacers plan to help the program grow as needed across the state over the next decade.

“It's been a great effort,” Carlisle said. “I’ve got some really great people that are supporting it. I’m very grateful.”

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