Statement attributed to Emily Weikert Bryant, Executive Director of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, the state association of Feeding America affiliate food banks
“Feeding Indiana’s Hungry strongly supports the 15 percent benefit increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) included in the updated HEROES Act introduced in the House of Representatives. This past year, Feeding America’s network of 200 food banks and 60,000 partner food pantries and meal programs have served more than 5 billion meals to our neighbors in need. Here in Indiana, the eleven Feeding America affiliate food banks distributed more than 87,000,000 meals in just the first six months of the COVID pandemic, more than any other six month period in our history, with the hard work and long hours of dedicated food bank staff, volunteers, and the Indiana National Guard. Yet for every meal the Feeding America network provides, SNAP provides nine. As our nation’s public health and economic crises continue with no end in sight, investing in SNAP is an efficient and cost-effective way to help families keep their pantries full while also stimulating economic activity in Indiana and elsewhere.
“In addition, Feeding Indiana’s Hungry is grateful that the recently introduced bill invests an additional $450 million to help food banks meet the growing need for food assistance through The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Since the onset of COVID-19, the Feeding America network has reported, on average, an increase in demand of about 60 percent. As the capacity of food banks becomes more stretched than ever, we are pleased that the bill strengthens our ability to do what we do best: feed families. Additionally, we support the bill’s inclusion of additional vital investments in and improvements to SNAP, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), child nutrition programs, and school and child care programs to help households facing hardship.
“Every day, the member food banks of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry help Hoosier families have enough to eat, but we cannot meet the need alone. As Hoosiers and people across the country face the highest food prices in 50 years and as unemployment benefit claims surpass 50 million, strong investments in both federal nutrition programs and the charitable sector are essential so families do not have to choose between putting food on the table and paying their rent. More than ever, we need our lawmakers to come together and pass a bill that strengthens every tool at our disposal to significantly curb hunger in our country. The federal nutrition provisions in this proposed bill are a critical step in that direction and we ask our Hoosier federal delegation to act to ensure our friends and neighbors aren’t forced to make unimaginable choices to feed their families.”
About Feeding Indiana’s Hungry
Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, Inc. is the statewide association of Feeding America affiliated food banks. Member food banks include:
Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, Merrillville
Food Bank of Northern Indiana, South Bend
Food Finders Food Bank, Inc., Lafayette
Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, Ft. Wayne
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, Inc., Muncie
Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank, Terre Haute
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Indianapolis
Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Bloomington
Tri-State Food Bank, Inc., Evansville
Dare to Care Food Bank, Louisville, KY
Freestore Foodbank, Cincinnati, OH
You can follow Feeding Indiana’s Hungry on Facebook and Twitter
