The numbers are enough to make us lose our appetite. They’re pretty rotten. A study conducted by Feeding Indiana’s Hungry and Feeding America and released Tuesday shows that nearly 650,000 Indiana residents receive emergency food from food banks annually.
Of those 650,000, nearly 300,000 are children. And, 46 percent of those surveyed said they had to choose at least once in the past year between buying food and paying utilities.
Times are indeed hard, especially here in northern Indiana. Imagine how much worse off our community would be without the help and hard work of our local food banks. The individuals who run these pantries work diligently on keeping the shelves stocked with donated food items. There are more than 25 food pantries in Elkhart County, many run by local churches.
Salvation Army offices in both Elkhart and Goshen are two excellent resources for families in need. As this latest study shows, food banks are a vital resource for these families. We all need to do our part to help keep the cupboard from going bare.
Please give what you can when you can. Every little bit helps.
