Second Harvest Column

By Lois Rockhill

Everything we do at Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana is done with a picture in our heads and hearts. The picture is of a child, a family, a senior — a neighbor who has food on the table because of the resources we are able to gather and provide. With 9,300 low-income people using pantries and kitchens every week in this area, the faces of hunger are important to keep in mind.

Kids are eating this summer at 14 sites in four counties because Second Harvest has joined the group of Summer Food sponsors. That means tummies are full and parents less stressed knowing their children have lunch. Some sites are providing breakfast, lunch and snack, as well as a day full of activities and supervision. Kids Cafe is continuing through the summer in some locations. We distributed 10,000 pounds of food for children’s meals in May alone.

More than a hundred charitable programs in eight counties are better able to provide meals, shelter, child care, senior programs, youth programs, rehabilitation and pantry services with the food and products we secure from our region and throughout the nation. This helps program clients directly and takes some weight off of the organizations’ budgets. What they get from Second Harvest for a minimal contribution allows them to use their scarce dollars for other necessities. Last month, we provided nearly 200,000 pounds of donated food, valued at $338,000, to help local programs.

Our Second Harvest tailgate distribution relieves local pantries while providing a half dozen items to families in each county once every month. This outdoor, drive-through pantry enables Second Harvest to get lots of fresh produce, beverages and dairy to people in need very quickly. In May, more than 88,000 pounds of food was distributed through the Tailgate Program reaching more than 3,000 area families.

Our contract with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs enables us to provide a wonderful mix of government commodities to more than 50 pantries in East Central Indiana. We receive the USDA food and deliver it every two months or so for pantries to distribute to their clients. The products include canned and dried fruits, canned vegetables, fruit juice, rice, cereal, dried beans, meat, poultry, fish, pasta products, soups, baking mix and peanut butter. Second Harvest Food Bank delivered 118,144 pounds of this highly desirable product to pantries in East Central Indiana in May.

Second Harvest Food Bank does this good work with the help of the community. At a cost of 22 cents per pound of food, Second Harvest depends on United Way, individual and corporate donations, agency contributions, special events, foundation grants and some government funds to pay the bills.

Food donations are very important to keep the warehouse full and hungry people in our communities fed. Last month, the Letter Carriers Food Drive brought in nearly 60,000 pounds to our warehouse for Madison County agencies and 100,000 pounds more directly to agencies in the remaining seven counties.

Nestlé provided more than 20,000 pounds of product to Second Harvest in May. Wal-Mart donated 12,400 pounds of food from their Gas City distribution center. Prairie Farms donated 6,983 pounds, and Marsh’s perishable food warehouse provided almost 6,500 pounds of product for hunger relief through Second Harvest Food Bank. America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s food bank network, helped us obtain 40,000 pounds of potatoes as well as large loads from Procter & Gamble, Kellogg and NutriSystem.

Help also came in the form of volunteers from Comcast Cable, Ball State University, Yorktown High School and many individuals including Rep. Terri Austin, District 36. Some 185 volunteers gave 1,111 hours to help Second Harvest alleviate hunger in east central Indiana last month.

This snapshot of May 2008 is similar to every month of the year. With 49,000 people in east central Indiana living in poverty and many more balancing on the edge, our work is critical and dependent on the goodwill of community members. Our thanks to all who play a part in helping Second Harvest Food Bank make east central Indiana a community that cares for its most vulnerable residents.