While grocery prices are rising and nutrition is being sacrificed in order to put food on the table, food banks across the country are needed more than ever. That’s why here in Northwest Indiana, Centier Bank associates spent the entire month of September, which is Hunger Action Month, to donate food and money to the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.
Nearly tripling last year’s donations, bank associates collected nearly 1,100 pounds of food and donated over $3,200 to the food bank. This amounts to providing nearly 10,000 meals for those in need across the region.
Bob Lueder, the Hospitality Manager at Centier Bank, led the effort across Centier’s Lake County offices, collecting food as well as monetary donations for the presentation at the end of September.
“No person should go hungry—not in Northwest Indiana or anywhere else,” Lueder said. “We have done this food drive every year in recent history, and each year we are able to donate more items and more money, which is so significant in making sure those in need are fed and nourished. I’m so proud to see everyone come together so we can meet and surpass our donation goals.”
Charlie Cole, Development Coordinator for the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, said the organization is grateful for Centier Bank’s success, effort, and generosity, and that corporate donations and volunteering is essential to serving the food bank’s Northwest Indiana residents.
“In Northwest Indiana, nearly 100,000 individuals are what we call ‘food insecure,’ which is about 1 in 6 people in our community who do not know where their next meal will come from,” Cole said. “Donated meals will be shared with peoples’ family and friends and could even be used to improve social conditions just by creating ties within the community.”
Cole went on to explain how increased food prices and shortages are affecting The Region.
“There really are so many people are experiencing shortages that you don’t see,” Cole said. “Just because people have a nice car or house and nice clothes to wear, doesn’t mean they’re not struggling and there’s not a gap that needs to be met. By the time you can witness somebody is experiencing a shortage in their life, they’ve already been suffering for a while. Our goal is to get ahead of that and help them not lose ground while they’re trying to find an improvement.”
The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and a powerful network of 200 food banks across the country. For more information about the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, go to foodbanknwi.org. For more information on Centier Bank, visit https://www.centier.com.
