Strack & Van Til volunteers pack over 1,000 Easter dinner bags for the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana

Recently, Strack & Van Til’s management team gathered at the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana located in Merrillville to fill bags with Easter meals for over 1,000 households in the community.

This partnership has always worked well because both sides want to see change in the community. Strack & Van Til and the Food Bank love the community they are a part of and enjoy serving it more than anything.

“One of the many things Strack & Van Til does to support the Food Bank and feeding and neighbors is donating the items for holiday meals – specifically Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. This is the first holiday in 2025 with those particular food items to get to neighbors who otherwise would not have that,” said Victor Garcia, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana

The holidays are a time to look at the bigger picture, which is that everybody deserves an amazing holiday. Both Strack & Van Til and the Food Bank work hard to do their part in making that a possibility for those in need in their area.

“We’ve been doing three donations each year during Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Tom Steliga, director of the center store at Strack & Van Til, said. “Working with the food bank at the right time when they need the product has been a great experience.”

Steliga played a big role in coordinating this event. “I love being in a position to be able to organize events like this,” Steliga said. “We ordered everything and coordinated it in our warehouse before sending it over. It’s a great team effort”

“We are extremely fortunate to have that type of direct food support from Strack & Van Til. They source all the food, donate it, and then their management team comes in and prepares it for distribution. In addition to their time, energy, and labor to do the work, they obviously also bring their expertise,” said Garcia.

The two partners work extremely hard all year round to make this an ongoing occurrence in their area. From luncheons throughout the year to planning it all out to actually making it happen, the work does not go unnoticed.

“The sincerity and authenticity of the team is really inspiring. We are really grateful for that support all around,” said Garcia.

When the two companies meet and make this happen, it gives them not only the opportunity to network, but also gives them joy knowing that there is a difference being made in a person or family’s life. The holidays are meant for community and having each other's back, and this type of community work just goes to show that anyone can do this.

“We are really fortunate to have such a dynamic relationship with Strack & Van Til. In addition to their work and commitment at the organizational, corporate level, the individuals themselves give so much care and concern when we have the opportunity to have them on site and chat with them,” said Garcia.

When multiple entities work on a project together, and if they both have the same mindset going into it and strive for the same outcome, anything is possible. Take this project, for example, when looking towards future community work.

For more information visit foodbanknwi.org and strackandvantil.com.