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Gleaners, DPS: Mobile food pantry a success, expanding

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Gleaners Food Bank says it summer mobile food pantry program was a huge success.

“It was just a great, great initiative and what I love to tell everybody is that we did it in six weeks for sure, but we couldn’t have done it without our DPS (Department of Public Safety) partners,” said Gleaners’ President & CEO Cindy Hubert.

Hubert says the program served over 400,000 meals.

The C.A.R.E. (Community Action Relief Effort) program traveled to the six areas DPS says is responsible for the majority of the city’s crime.

Food relief experts say there’s 200,000 people in Indianapolis needing food everyday.

“It’s not just seniors, it’s not just kids, it’s not just adults, it really cuts across,” said Dave Miner, the president of the Indy Hunger Network. “You can’t pin it down to one ethnic group or one part of the city, or one age group, its really everybody.”

Data from the Indy Hunger Network shows over 20 percent of the city doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from.

“One out of five people. That’s staggering,” said Miner.

“We just can’t accept that in Indianapolis. We can’t have a world-class city that also has third-world problems,” said Dr. David Wantz, Interim Director for DPS.

DPS and Gleaners says over 62,000 people, representing 16,000 homes were fed.

“No one in Indianapolis should be hungry,” said Dr. Wantz.

DPS says the hunger problem is leading to a decay of quality of life and an increase in crime.

“You can’t feel safe if you don’t have food security,” said Dr. Wantz.

Because of its success they announced winter mobile pantries today. They say the problem doesn’t go away with the summer, and likely won’t go away at all.

“There will always be some people that need food assistance and we always want to be in a position to meet those needs,” said Miner.

The winter mobile food pantries are being held from now through the end of the year.Locations

  • Trinity Episcopal Church

    3243 North Meridian Street

    10 a.m.-noon Saturday, October 17

  • Fervent Prayer Church

    10512 East 38th Street

    10 a.m. – noon

    Third Saturday of each month

  • Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church

    3505 East 38th Street|

    11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

    Second and fourth Wednesday of each month

  • Christ Our King Christian Church

    2701 North California Street

    10 a.m. – noon

    Second Thursday of each month