Indianapolis man and community open non-profit grocery

The shelves of Pogue’s Run Grocer are lined with local and organic food items, yet Indianapolis resident Kyle Hendrix walks down each aisle as if he’s a kid in a candy store. He smiles every time he enters the store, knowing that three years of love, sweat and tears contributed to building the only nonprofit, community-owned grocery store in Indianapolis.

Kyle said he is a firm believer in giving back to the community through his work in agriculture.

For more than 20 years he has dedicated his professional and personal life to making a difference.

He constructs projects that strengthen community awareness of green living for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Kyle also contributes to the local farmers’ markets and supports numerous green, local organizations around Indianapolis.

And he took on the Indy Food Co-op — the means to developing Pogue’s Run Grocer — in his spare time because he wanted to directly improve the lives of others around him.

“What else are we supposed to do?” Kyle asked. “I believe that heaven and hell are here on earth and you can either make it heaven or make it hell. The only thing we are ever guaranteed is this here right now, so why not make a positive difference? I feel that you should make the world what you want it to look like.”

Since its inception, the Indy Food Co-op has grown to more than 350 members, and it all started four years ago in Abbey House Coffee.

As the economy recessed during the last few years, two major grocers on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis closed their doors, leaving the area’s 40,000 residents without easy access to affordable nutritious food, he said.

But Kyle was determined to fill the void.

After speaking with three different groups of concerned Indianapolis residents who wanted to improve the east side of the city, Kyle organized a meeting to bring everyone together and begin working on a solution.

Some residents were worried that resources were being wasted when folks drove to the northern areas of Indianapolis to get healthy food. Others wanted to develop a model for a community-owned grocery store. Another group wanted to bring better nutrition to the Pogue’s Run area.

The group continued to meet and reached out to the community for support.
In early 2008, they became an official cooperative and named Kyle as president to see the project through.

Kyle said opening a community-owned store from scratch was no easy feat. Grants had to be secured and renovation of the storefront had to be completed. Community support was needed. He said many people doubted Pogue’s Run Grocer could ever open for business.

But on Jan. 15, Pogue’s Run Grocer opened its doors to a line that stretched nearly two city blocks.

Kyle said he strives to be practical, ethical and environmentally conscious in all facets of his life. Pogue’s Run Grocer’s mission is to share that same mentality.

“It’s amazing what people did to make it open,” he said.