Published: November 23, 2009 10:33 pm         

Private sector asked to help feed state’s hungry

Number of low-income Hoosiers needing food increasing

TERRE HAUTE — Last year, Indiana’s 10 regional food banks solicited, warehoused and distributed 40 million pounds of food, but with a national recession, the need for food among low-income Hoosiers during the upcoming winter months is expected to increase.

In June, the Indiana General Assembly dedicated $300,000 to Feeding Indiana’s Hungry Inc., or FIsH, the umbrella organization for the state’s food banks. On Monday, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller visited Terre Haute to announce a FIsH corporate challenge.

Zoeller said the state legislature’s appropriation “was the first of its kind,” in Indiana, “specifically by a contribution of public funds to help in this crisis of our economic circumstances.”

“Even while the state is battling with its own financial problem, the Indiana General Assembly recognized the crucial safety net that Feeding Indiana’s Hungry provides,” Zoeller said. “As part of a pledge that I made to a number of legislators in seeking support for this [legislative] contribution, I said that I would go around the state and ask the private sector to either meet or exceed the contribution of the State of Indiana.

“We are calling on the private sector, recognizing the incredible problems that we are facing in terms of our ability to feed the hungry in the state of Indiana, to step up and match or exceed the contributions of Indiana,” Zoeller said during a stopover at Terre Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank at 1356 Locust St.

Zoeller said he also is contacting associations statewide, such as the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indiana Manufacturers Association and the AFL-CIO, asking for a commitment to help raise funds. He also will make stops this week in South Bend, Fort Wayne and New Albany to announce the corporate challenge.

Underscoring the hunger problem, a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report found that one in six American households went hungry or had insufficient food at some point during 2008, Zoeller said.

Zoeller added that the fundraising effort is to supplement individual fund drives at the various statewide food banks.

In February, Zoeller headed a “March Against Hunger,” challenging law firms in the state to raise money for FIsH during a March competition. That campaign generated $28,542 and 10,093 pounds of donated food for the statewide food banks.

John Etling, director of the Terre Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank and president of FIsH, said the down economy has sparked a demand for “the basic essentials that life requires. Of all of the things that connect us, food is certainly one of the most important.”

Etling said that statewide, FIsH solicited, warehoused and distributed 40 million pounds of food “to an ever-growing population.”

The Terre Haute food bank, which serves Vigo, Clay, Vermillion, Parke, Sullivan, Greene and Knox counties, last year distributed 2 million pounds of food.

Etling said the Terre Haute food bank targets people at 185 percent of the federal poverty level. “That is the segment of the population that we know, even in the best of situations, are having difficulty making ends meet,” he said.

Etling said the Terre Haute food bank needs to double its distribution within three years.

Etling said the food bank is working to raise money to move into a bigger facility. Its Locust Street facility contains about 11,000 square feet, which includes refrigeration and storage space.

The 10 regional food banks of FIsH are Food Bank of Northwest Indiana in Gary; Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana Inc. in Fort Wayne; Food Finders Food Banks in Lafayette; Gleaners Food Bank in Indianapolis; Hoosier Hills Food Bank in Bloomington; Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana in Muncie; Food Bank of Northern Indiana in South Bend; Terre Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank; Tri-State Food Bank Inc. in Evansville; and Dare to Care Food Bank in Louisville, Ky., which serves five southeastern Indiana counties.

Any company or individual wishing to make a monetary contribution to FIsH can do so at www.feedingindianashungry.org or by calling (317) 396-9355. Feeding Indiana’s Hungry Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and donations are tax-deductible.