Margie Evans Fort, CEO, and Brandon Spice, Development Specialist, of the National Kidney Foundation of Indiana discuss the hidden danger of kidney disease and their new Kidney Cars program which allows people to donate cars to the charity as a fundraiser.

Jason Chenoweth, CEO of Outreach, Inc., joins us to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Indianapolis' homeless youth. While Outreach, Inc. serves around 500 youth between 14 and 24, there may be as many as 2,000 kids experiencing homelessness in the city. He also shares the dramatic increase in food needs within the city.

Eric Todderud is a Business Development Representative at the Fairbanks Addiction Treatment Center. He joins us to talk about the challenges of maintaining sobriety during the pandemic as well as signs that a loved one may need intervention.

Ben Harvey, CEO of the Indiana Primary Health Care Association, joins us to discuss community health centers in Indiana and their efforts to combat COVID-19.

With big changes from added economic pressure, homeschooling, and sheltering in place, Maggie Owens of the Indiana Center for Prevention of Youth Abuse and Suicide shares some tips on managing family fights, talking to kids about the pandemic, and getting help when dealing with suicidal ideation.

David Kosene from Mimi Blue Good Food shares their family's history of combining great meals with helping others. With their Mimi Cares program, they've raised $10,000 allowing the restaurant to deliver meals to hospitals and homeless shelters.

Caisy Lun of Taste Restaurant at Lucky Lou joins us to discuss feeding front line workers at hospitals after connecting with one of them on her restaurant's Instagram.

While reports of child abuse are down, incidents of abuse are increasing in the COVID-19 pandemic. Tina Cloer is the CEO of the Children's Bureau joins us to discuss their efforts in helping children and families financially, monitoring at-risk children, and their Project Courage shelters that house children while their parents and guardians fight the coronavirus.

Soupremacy General Manager Danielle Cooney joins us to discuss their efforts to feed the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as families hit hard economically. Support their efforts at http://soupremacy.com/.

The Executive Director of the Shepherd Community Center Jay Height joins us to share what is happening on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. They've put in place a 120-day response plan that focuses on five areas: food security, financial stability, medical monitoring, e-learning for students, and fighting social isolation. Support them and learn more at their website: https://www.shepherdcommunity.org/.

Can a parent deny parenting time to another parent? What if parents live across state lines? What if a parent is an essential worker and exposed to coronavirus? We are joined by Lindsay Scott, the President/CEO of Kids' Voice of Indiana, and Katie Kelsey, Director of the Children’s Law Center of Indiana to discuss custody issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 15 February 2020, Stephen Meyers will begin a 6,000+ mile walk across the USA to raise awareness for Post-Traumatic Stress. He will walk through 20 States to meet with veterans, first responders, medical professionals, and people interested in Post-Traumatic Stress. We are fortunate to hear his story and message. Stephen is on the border of KY and TN awaiting the ability to continue his journey. Learn more about Stephen and PTSD at his website. https://ptsd-walk.com/

Jason Fishburn of Matthew's Voices shares how a choir of those experiencing homelessness changes lives in Indianapolis.

Over 4,000 blood donation drives have been canceled and the blood supply is critically low across the country. Surgery and emergency patients are greatly at risk due to this, and they are calling for volunteers to help work virtually to arrange drives. They will keep everyone safe during a drive as well. COVID-19 does NOT spread through the blood. They desperately need blood drives organized in every community around the country. They will also need help responding during the approaching tornado season.

Mary Kay Foster, manager of the Special Pathogens Unit at IU Health, joins Now Hear This on the basics of COVID-19. We ask why social distancing is so important, what symptoms one might have should they contract it, how can one get tested, and what preparations her hospitals are making to deal with the coronavirus. She also shares some reasons to be optimistic.

Debbie Laswell, Program Director of the IWIN Foundation, joins us to discuss IWIN's work in alleviating stress for women and men fighting breast cancer. Learn more about their work at http://www.iwinfoundation.org/.

The Exotic Feline Rescue Center is home to 150 abandoned big cats like lions, tigers, and leopards. Jennifer Lamb joins us to discuss what life is like for these rescued animals in their East Central Indiana home. Support their work by attending their annual auction on March 14 in Indianapolis. Learn more about the event and the organization at their website: https://efrc.org/.

Tia Brewer and Shane Beal of Hope House are working towards opening the first recovery house for women in Grant County, Indiana. Marion, like most other cities, is experiencing a surge in substance use issues and a lack of recovery homes. Hope House Marion is opening in March of 2020 and will provide sober living environments for both men and women. More importantly, they will provide Hope for those seeking recovery. Hope House Marion believes that providing people in recovery with safe, structured, and stable living environments is the key to making Marion a better community. Hope House Marion was created by members of the recovery and faith community to provide safe, structured, and stable housing for men and women living with a substance use disorder.

Nanci Bonfield (Regional Director Indiana) and Tom Gospel (National Board Member) of the 24 Foundation join Now Hear This to discuss their organization's work in supporting individuals fighting cancer. Their mission: 24 Foundation’s mission is to inspire and engage communities to make an immediate impact on the lives of those affected by cancer. For us, that means more than funding research and goes beyond finding a cure. To 24 Foundation, that means investing in services that untangle the maze of appointments, tests, and treatments after diagnosis, and funding programs to increase the quality of life for survivors decades into the future.

The blind population of Indiana faces over 60% unemployment in the state, and Bosma Enterprises helps solve this problem by hiring over 200 employees to serve this community. For more information, please visit https://www.bosma.org/.

Jennifer McCloud (SVP & Chief Advancement Officer) and Jessica Ledesma (Match Specialist) of the Starfish Initiative join Chris Spangle to discuss their work connecting economically disadvantaged youth with mentors that will help scholars develop in the area of college readiness/Access, career exploration, and character.

On this week's show, we talk to Chris Gray, Executive Director of the Indiana Council on Problem Gambling about the expansion of gambling in Indiana and how that affects Hoosiers.

Rupert Boneham of Rupert's Kids (and Survivor) discusses his program's efforts to help empower young men and women that are exiting the criminal justice system and his new facility called the Where House.