ISDA announces $2M in grants to Indiana food banks
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Eleven statewide food banks will share $2 million to help feed Hoosiers in need amid record demand, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture announced this week.
The 11 food banks supply pantries and soup kitchens across Indiana, and the funding will allow each to receive additional food to serve their communities.
According to state food bank association Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, more than 950,000 Hoosiers, including 1 in 5 children, experienced food insecurity in 2022, which is the most recent data available. The amount reflects a 30% increase over 2021.
“As we have said for nearly four years, our member food banks continue to serve record numbers of Hoosier families,” Executive Director Emily Bryant said in a news release. “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.”
The following are the 11 food banks that received funding in fiscal year 2025:
- Community Harvest Food Bank (Fort Wayne) – $197,800
- Dare to Care Food Bank (Louisville, Kentucky) – $75,200
- Food Bank of Northern Indiana (South Bend) – $233,600
- Food Bank of Northwest Indiana (Merrillville) – $198,800
- Food Finders Food Bank Inc. (Lafayette) – $195,800
- FreeStore Foodbank (Cincinnati) – $16,000
- Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Inc. (Indianapolis) – $693,200
- Hoosier Hills Food Bank Inc. (Bloomington) – $80,000
- Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central IN Inc. (Muncie) – $155,200
- Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank Inc. (Terre Haute) – $89,200
- Tri-State Food Bank Inc. (Evansville) – $119,200
The funding was provided in the General Assembly’s biennial budget and allocated based on poverty and unemployment levels in each county, a news release said.
“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, who also serves as 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.”