PANTRY POWER HENDRICKS COUNTY FOOD PANTRY COALITION COORDINATES HELP FOR LOCALS IN NEED Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided
When the pandemic hit the United States last spring, questions, anxieties, and concerns increased as many families had much to figure out. How was this global health crisis going to affect them physically, psychologically and economically? For those who already suffered food insecurity in Hendricks County, worry loomed. Thankfully, in 2006 the Hendricks County Food Pantry Coalition (HCFPC) was created. Operating under the umbrella of the Hendricks County
Community Foundation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the HCFPC helps to meet dietary needs of residents, and offers training and education to the affiliated food pantries by working with members and other support agencies. The HCFPC consists of 20 food pantries, three pet food pantries and one personal hygiene pantry, from North Salem to Plainfield and Stilesville to the far east side of Avon. According to Mindy Duckett, board member for the HCFPC, at the start of the pandemic the organization’s leaders witnessed an increase in requests. Those 36 / AVON MAGAZINE / DECEMBER 2020 / AvonMagazine.com
numbers leveled off when stimulus checks arrived, and when unemployment and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits increased. Services increased again when the extra benefits ended, and rent and utility moratoriums came to a halt. “Our pantries have increased the amount of food they are distributing to each family to help fill the gaps,” says Duckett, who is also a community wellness coordinator for Purdue Extension in Hendricks County. “Even when our numbers have leveled out, the amount of food we are giving away has increased.”
