The Starke County Commissioners are seeing the overwhelming need of the Starke County Government Mobile Food Delivery Program.
The Starke County Government Mobile Food Delivery program is an opportunity for residents to get a choice of two boxes full of essential groceries or a hot meal from a local restaurant. The program is for those who need assistance due to COVID-19 or who are quarantined.
Starke County Auditor Rachel Oesterreich told the commissioners Monday night that the orders come in so quickly when the order form is opened that they have to stop taking orders within the first hour. The drivers can only do 75 deliveries a day with an even higher number of meals for each of those deliveries. The amount of orders fills quickly. On Tuesday, May 5, the order form was already full through Friday delivery. Wednesday’s form will be for Monday delivery.
Starke County Clerk Bernadette Manuel said she fields phone call requests in her office and they have to stop taking requests within an hour because the delivery quota is full. She noted that some residents often lash out at her employees because of the inability to fill the order due to the high demand.
Oesterreich said there are a lot of repeat customers and about 80 percent of the customers are senior citizens who find it hard to get groceries or a hot meal.
Many delivery drivers are county employees who are on call and not deemed essential to be working in the office. Oesterreich mentioned that the program may experience a difficulty when those workers return to work at the county buildings on Monday, May 11. Commissioner Bryan Cavender has taken on several of those deliveries to those in need.
The commissioners expressed appreciation to those who are delivering the food and who are processing the orders. They also thanked the restaurant and grocery store owners who are helping in this endeavor. Oesterreich said the business owners are also very thankful for the support during this uncertain time.
Commissioner Kathy Norem was concerned about funding this program for a longer term as the county didn’t receive all of the funding sought with the Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The county was awarded $75,000 for the program. The request made was for $250,000. Norem said the Northern Indiana Community Foundation and the Starke County Community Foundation were very generous in making over $100,000 available to sustain the program. Norem said the Starke County Community Foundation was deemed a “Hometown Hero”.
Going forward, the commissioners realize that the need is greater than the funding allows. They will explore ways to obtain funding to prolong the program. There could be another opportunity for OCRA grant funding for a longer-term solution and more on that opportunity could come down the line in the next few months.
They will also look to see why the Meals on Wheels program is no longer available to residents.
Donations, however big or small, can be made toward the Starke County Government Food Delivery Program by sending money to Northern Indiana Community Foundation, P.O. Box 807, Rochester, IN 46975. The money will be funneled back through the program through the foundation.
