All posts by Mitch Columbe

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

This year’s funding is double of what was received last year. According to Feeding Indiana’s Hungry (FIH), while the long lines outside of food banks and food pantries may not have been as noticeable in 2021 as the year before, nearly 1 in 6 Americans received food assistance from the charitable sector last year.

Indiana has 11 food banks which feed into pantries and soup kitchens across the state. Each food bank received part of the $2 million in funding, therefore helping all 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.

According to FIH, Indiana’s food banks and food pantries are serving more Hoosier neighbors now than during the pandemic because of inflation and its lingering economic impact.

The funding was provided by the Indiana Legislature, 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. Food Bank of Northern Indiana received $233,000 and Food Bank of Northwest Indiana received $195,200 for the 2024 fiscal year.

Visit here to learn more about the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.