Feeding the nearly 100,000 food insecure people across Lake and Porter counties is no small task, but is one that the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana has proudly taken on since 1982.
Operating out of a re-purposed 12,000 square foot barn, the Food Bank found themselves turning donations away due to lack of space. That problem is well on it’s way to being solved, though, as the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana announced on Thursday that they’d secured a new location at 6490 Broadway in Merrillville. The new location is possible due to their Fighting Hunger, Building Hope campaign and the contributions of many community donors.
“We’re very excited,” said Nupur Arora, Director of Business Administration for Food Bank of Northwest Indiana. “This facility is five times bigger than where we’re operating out of right now. The sky is the limit, there’s a lot we can do with this space. We are very excited and looking forward to the next few years.”
Jeff Strack, CEO of Strack & Van Til and Honorary Chair of the Capital Campaign Steering Committee, was proud to discuss some of the long-term goals of the new facility. With Strack & Van Til feeding the community through their grocery stores and partnerships to the food bank, he feels a strong connection to the mission of the organization. With the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana’s future goals including educational initiatives, Strack believes their biggest successes will go far beyond the 4.5 million meals they’re currently serving annually.
“The big vision is not only food, but helping people feed and support themselves. That’s when the real successes will occur,” Strack said. “We have the opportunity now to impact individuals' lives, families' lives, and community lives.”
The new facility will be able to support additional programming and food stock thanks to its 72,000 square feet of space. Within these walls will be loading docks, a large volunteer room, a state of the art cooler system, and a Nutrition Education Space, all of which will improve the current programming and abilities of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.
“Moving into this space is going to provide so many more meals to people in need,” said Steve Beekman, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana. “What we’re trying to do is not only serve those meals, but provide long-term solutions to the effects of hunger. What you see here is some of the programming we want to create in this space. We’re kicking off our public campaign to ensure we reach our goal of $4 million to reach those goals.”
Partnerships from Strack & Van Til and other community groups have a large impact on this organization. Feeding the hungry and improving the community is no small task, but through teamwork and a lot of effort, great things can happen. As Pastor Israel Santiago of Iglesia Evangelica De Cristo, one of many partner organizations, mentioned, the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana has a profound impact on the communities it serves.
“We’re here to bring a better life and better opportunity to those in need and for so many, that begins with simply having enough food to eat,” Santiago said. “Surely lives depend on this organization.”
