INDIANAPOLIS WISH — President and CEO Fred Glass believes despite indicators showing a strong economy, hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers are struggling.

“In our fiscal year 2023, ending in September, Gleaners distributed an all-time record 48 million meals throughout our 21-county service area, 17% higher than the last year and 88% higher than the year before the pandemic. Since June, the number of households we’re serving just at our own on-site pantry has increased by nearly 28%.”

Glass said Gleaners budgeted $7.7 million to purchase food in 2023. This is the highest in the organization’s 43-year history. “Despite having conservatively planned this year for a significant increase in our food budget, our recent distributions are running well over that increased budget. My big concern is that even this record budget may not be enough,” Glass explained.

Across the country, more people are seeking food banks for donations. The October 2023 USDA report on household food insecurity in the U.S. in 2022 revealed that 44 million people, about one in seven Americans, live in food insecure households, including one in five children.

“We hear from our neighbors that while the vast majority are working, sometimes more than one job, their wages simply aren’t sufficient to meet the family’s basic needs,” said Glass. “Of those needs – such as housing, utilities, childcare, and health care — food is the most accessible and flexible to successfully address. If a neighbor goes to one of our pantries, they will receive food. This not only helps them meet their immediate need to eat but can free up time and resources to help them pay their rent, keep on their lights, and buy medicine.”

Gleaners has multiple food distributions to help feed those in need. Visit gleaners.org to learn more about hunger in your community and how you can get involved.