NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE?

$2 Million provided to Indiana food banks through

State Department of Agriculture

INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 5, 2024) ??Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) announced today that Indiana food banks will receive a combined total of $2 million to support their efforts in feeding Hoosiers in need.

?Food insecure Hoosiers are some of our most vulnerable and I appreciate the general assembly?s support of these individuals and families,? said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana?s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. ?This funding will go a long way in supporting 11 food banks that provide the necessary nutrition to food pantries and soup kitchens across our state.??

According to Feeding Indiana?s Hungry (FIH), more than 950,000 Hoosiers, including 1 in 5 children, experienced food insecurity in 2022, the most recent data available. This new data represents a 30% increase in food insecurity over 2021.

?As we have said for nearly four years, our member food banks continue to serve record numbers of Hoosier families. Too many of our neighbors continue to face difficult choices between paying bills and buying groceries. For any Hoosier to be unsure from where their next meal will come is unacceptable,? said Emily Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana?s Hungry. ?We?re grateful for the support of the Indiana General Assembly, Lt. Gov. Crouch and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture for providing additional and much needed support to our members to help them serve our Hoosier neighbors and our communities.?

Indiana food pantries and soup kitchens are a subsect of food banks. There are 11 food banks which supply pantries and soup kitchens across the state. Each food bank received part of the $2 million in funding, which supplies community food pantries, kitchens, churches and more. This funding will allow food pantries, soup kitchens and other food distribution centers to receive additional food products from the food bank that serves their location.

ISDA Director Don Lamb is proud to help assist our food banks and pantries that feed Hoosiers.

?Indiana farmers are skilled at growing an abundance of safe, reliable food and food banks and pantries have the necessary resources and skills to distribute large amounts of food to help community members in need,? said Lamb. ?We are so thankful for the work food banks, pantries, soup kitchens and others do for their communities in helping food insecure Hoosiers.?

The funding was provided by the Indiana General Assembly, as part of its biennial budget. The distribution amounts were determined using The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TFAP) fair share percentages for Indiana, which captures poverty and unemployment levels in each county.

Carmen Cumberland, Executive Director and CEO of Community Harvest Food Bank in Fort Wayne, is excited to be able to support more families.?

?Community Harvest Food Bank is humbled and thrilled to receive this bountiful grant of $197,800 from the General Assembly and Indiana State Department of Agriculture. This funding comes when our friends and neighbors struggle to afford rent, car payments and basic needs. Inflation?s impact on daily living has left some families choosing between keeping their car or their house, let alone, figuring out how to get food on their tables. These are people with jobs, families, support networks, and resources who the cost of living has simply outpaced," said Cumberland. "Last week, our Saturday Helping Hands distribution reached a record high of 1,622 families seeking food assistance. Food insecurity is not going anywhere soon, and that?s why these funds are greatly significant in lifting those we love and care about in our community.?

The following list includes the food banks are receiving funding for fiscal year 2025:

• Community Harvest Food Bank ? $197,800
• Dare to Care Food Bank ? $75,200
• Food Bank of Northern Indiana ? $233,600
• Food Bank of Northwest Indiana ? $198,800
• Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. ? $195,800
• FreeStore Foodbank? $16,000
• Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc. ? $693,200
• Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Inc. ? $80,000
• Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central IN, Inc. ? $155,200
• Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank, Inc. ? $89,200
• Tri-State Food Bank, Inc. ? $119,200

Visit?isda.in.gov to learn more about the Indiana State Department of Agriculture Department. Visit feedingindianashungry.org to learn more about Feeding Indiana?s Hungry.

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ABOUT ISDA

The?Indiana State Department of Agriculture?(ISDA) reports to?Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch,? Indiana?s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. Major responsibilities include advocacy for Indiana agriculture at the local, state and federal level, managing soil conservation programs, promoting economic development and agricultural innovation, serving as a regulatory ombudsman for agricultural businesses, and licensing grain firms throughout the state.