INDIANAPOLIS — September is Hunger Action Month.
A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows food insecurity is on the rise nationally.
And that’s no different right here in the Hoosier state.
Food insecurity means someone does not have consistent, dependable access to the proper amount of food because of a lack of money and other resources.
Love Your Neighbor Food Pantry is helping those people on Indy’s southeast side.
“A lack of grocery stores, a lack of transportation to get to a grocery store. There’s a void there,” Peter Zubler with Saint Vincent de Paul said.
There’s a large need in the 46203 and 46107 zip codes.
Since mid-June, Love Your Neighbor has served between 60 to 70 families a week.
“People will skip breakfast and will skip lunch. We can’t have families going through that," Zubler said.
Families across Central Indiana are experiencing food insecurity.
“At a local level, we’re seeing need at or in some cases above peak pandemic levels," Executive Director Emily Weikert Bryant with Feeding Indiana’s Hungry said. “The programs that came through the federal government to provide additional support for families have all ended, but the struggles that families have continue.”
The USDA released its annual report this month.
13.5 percent of U.S. households were food insecure in 2023, up from 12.8 percent in 2022.
That number is 12.2 for Indiana.
“In Indiana, we’ve seen the numbers increase steadily about a percentage point for the last three surveys,” she said.
If you need assistance, Love Your Neighbor is open Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m.
The week of September 9th, Feeding Indiana’s Hungry encourages children to volunteer at their local food banks.
It’s an initiative called Students Feeding Families.
