Customer Story  ·  Coolers for a Cause

From Bikes to Food Banks: How Nine13sports Is Keeping Indianapolis Fed

Barr Refrigeration | Indianapolis, IN

When a youth cycling nonprofit pivoted during the pandemic to feed a city, it discovered a new mission and a cold storage opportunity that needed the right partner.

The Bicycle as a Tool for Change

Tom Hanley had a simple belief when he founded Nine13sports in Indianapolis in 2012: the bicycle is one of the most powerful educational tools we have. More than a decade later, that belief has driven hands-on programming into schools, community centers, and parks across Central Indiana. In 2025 alone, Nine13sports served more than 50,000 students through its flagship programs: Kids Riding Bikes®, Kids Building Bikes®, Bike Camp, and ExploreIndy®.

But Tom’s story — and Nine13’s footprint in the community — grew into something much bigger than anyone anticipated.

A Pandemic, a Pivot, and Four and a Half Million Pounds of Food

In March of 2020, COVID forced Tom to send his team home, not knowing when they’d return. Schools were closed. Bike programs were on hold. The future was uncertain.

Eager to do something, he emailed his community partners: “I’ve got 10 staff, 4 vans, a forklift, and 10,000 square feet of space. Let me know how we can help.” Within two days, Nine13 was picking up its first pallets of food.

That pivot gave birth to Nine13 Logistics — a division focused on what Tom calls “the least sexy part of food insecurity work.” Marion County alone has more than 220 food pantries, and the chronic problem many of them face isn’t a shortage of food donations: it’s the logistics of storing and moving it.

“The kids we serve through our education programs are often the same families that are benefiting from food resource programs in the city. If cold and freezer storage can help support the food pantries we call clients, then we’re doing our job just right.”

— Tom Hanley, Founder & Executive Director, Nine13sports

A Chance to Say “Yes”

Small food pantries regularly face a frustrating dilemma: a donor asks if they want a pallet or two of fresh protein or produce, but they don’t have the storage to say “yes.”

Nine13 Logistics fixes that by providing cold storage where pantries can store a large donation and receive it in manageable portions over weeks, perfectly timed to their regular delivery schedule. By moving food from food bank docks to pantries across the community and managing home delivery programs, Nine13 creates efficiencies that save money throughout the supply chain.

In 2025, the logistics division moved four and a half million pounds of food, and all net profits went to funding Nine13sports’ education programs.

“I like to joke that we did too good of a job because nobody will let us stop. That’s a great problem to have.”

— Tom Hanley, Founder & Executive Director, Nine13sports

A Cold Storage Problem and a Solution Built to Last

As Nine13 Logistics grew, so did its cold storage challenge. Since 2022, the organization had been relying on two 40-foot refrigerated and freezer shipping containers parked outside on their property. They worked, but running them during an Indianapolis January or July was miserable, and the operating costs were steep.

The solution was a full renovation of the rest of their building to create a new Nine13 Logistics hub with dedicated dry, cold, and freezer storage. But “astronomical” estimates from local vendors sent him searching online where he found Barr Refrigeration. After reading several positive reviews that said we were easy to work with, he emailed us and received an immediate reply.

The Coolers for a Cause Moment

Our team worked with Nine13 over several months, staying responsive and supportive as we answered questions and waited for their grants to fund the project. Since they’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, they qualified for our Coolers for a Cause program, giving them a discount that effectively covered the freight cost on the entire order.

“This was a great first experience, and we’re excited to be able to work with you guys in the future.”

— Tom Hanley, Founder & Executive Director, Nine13sports

What’s Next

The new Nine13 Logistics hub is adding approximately 2,200 square feet of upgraded cold and freezer storage and became operational in May of 2026. It will serve food pantries across Indianapolis, support urban farmers and growers who need short-term cold storage, and keep the mission of Nine13sports — education, opportunity, and community — fully funded and moving forward.

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About Coolers for a Cause

Coolers for a Cause is a national initiative created by Barr Refrigeration to help nonprofits afford critical cold-storage infrastructure. Since proper refrigeration is essential for safely storing food, medicine, and other temperature-sensitive supplies, Barr is leveraging its industry expertise and world-leading inventory to offer eligible nonprofits deep discounts on new and refurbished cooler and freezer units, as well as fundraising resources and free consultations to customize cold-storage solutions. The program was successfully piloted in 2025 with the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry, which annually distributes over 3 million pounds of food.

Barr Refrigeration  ·  Coolers for a Cause