Food Banks to Share $300K in State Funding

Gleaners Food Bank of Central Indiana Inc. was one of three $10 million recipients.

Eleven food banks from across Indiana will split $300,000 in state funding to help Hoosiers in need. Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch announced the distribution, which came from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

“While we still have a long way to go, we’re proud to be part of the coalition working to make sure that no child or family goes hungry in the state,” Crouch said.

Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, the state’s food bank association, says one in seven Indiana residents is food insecure.

According to the association, Indiana’s regional food banks last year distributed nearly 78 million pounds of food and other items to all 92 counties. Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of the association, says the state funding is critical. “We appreciate the support from ISDA, which enables food banks to purchase additional food for Hoosiers at risk of hunger and frees up resources for efficient and safe food storage and distribution,” Bryant said.

Not all of the money goes directly to food purchases. For example, Bryan says the Community Harvest Food Bank in Fort Wayne will use the funding for their farm program. The organization teamed up with two local farmers to grow 29 acres of fresh produce including green beans, watermelons, cantaloupes, and cabbage.

The funding was provided by the Indiana Legislature, as part of the 2019 biennial budget.

Here’s a list of the food banks that received funding for fiscal year 2019.

• Community Harvest Food Bank – $30,180
• Dare to Care – $10,650
• Food Bank of Northern Indiana – $35,010
• Food Bank of Northwest Indiana – $29,460
• Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. – $27,660
• FreeStore – $2,460
• Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc. – $95,730
• Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Inc. – $13,140
• Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central IN, Inc. – $23,430
• Terre Haute Catholic Food Bank, Inc. – $13,770
• Tri-State Food Bank, Inc. – $18,510