TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank will be distributing pre-packaged food to individuals facing food insecurity from 7 to 9 a.m. Thursday at the Union Health parking lot between Lafayette Avenue and 8th Street.
Pre-packaged bags or boxes of food with items such as fresh produce, dry packaged goods and refrigerated items will be distributed.
This is a Drive-thru pantry. In order to serve the community in the safest way possible, those picking up food are asked to remain in their vehicles. Vehicles should approach the location heading south on 8th Street. The National Guard will direct traffic to the staging area in the parking lot.
Across west central Indiana, thousands of people are newly at risk of experiencing food insecurity, alongside those who were experiencing food insecurity before the COVID-19 crisis began. Research available through Feeding America, the national food bank network, indicates that food insecurity as a result of COVID-19, could reach as high as 20% in west central Indiana. That means more than 52,000 individuals now lack access to enough nutritious food to lead a healthy active lifestyle – an increase of 36% from the data prior to COVID-19.
“On Saturday, during our monthly Bread & Produce Market, we provided food to 330 households. That’s more than double the number we typically serve each month,” stated John C. Etling, agency director for Catholic Charities in Terre Haute. “The need is increasing in our community and this is another way that we are trying to provide help to those families who have been hardest hit by layoffs and closures due to COVID-19 in our communities.”
