Food banks in need of holiday help

INDIANAPOLIS -- In the 83,000-square-foot Gleaners Food Bank warehouse, thousands of cans of fruits and vegetables, hundreds of boxes of cereal and cases of water and orange juice fill cavernous rooms.\nThe food is marked, boxed and ready to be shipped across Indiana to help those who need help feeding their families.\nBut no matter how much is shipped to food pantries and soup kitchens, it likely won't be enough to help everyone.\n"All across the state we're hearing the same thing," said John Hamilton, Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration secretary. "The shelves are getting bare and the system is under a lot of stress."\nFood bank administrators, such as Pamela Altmeyer, head of Gleaners Food Bank in Indianapolis, say donations are not keeping pace with the demand from the programs they serve.\n"Poundage is up, but distribution is up," said Altmeyer, whose food bank is the largest of the 10 serving Indiana food organizations. "The warehouse is emptying quicker than it did last year."\nAnd the story is the same throughout Indiana.\n"The pantries are serving more people and they're needing more food from us," said Selma Gordon, executive director of the American Second Harvest Food Bank in Gary, which serves more than 100 food pantries in Lake and Porter counties. "We can't keep up with their requests."\nHamilton encouraged greater giving by individuals and companies able to afford to donate food or money. He also urged individuals to check with the state to see if they qualify for Food Stamps.\nThe federally funded program helps those in need supplement their available food purchasing dollars and potentially rely less on food pantries.\nIndiana has seen a 40 percent increase in the number of families in the Food Stamp program in the past two years, Hamilton said.\nNational data show that as many as one in three people may qualify for the program.\n"Hoosiers who meet eligibility requirements for the Food Stamp program, who are struggling to put food on the table for their families, should not hesitate to ask for help when it's there," Hamilton said.\nFor more information on the Food Stamp program, call 1-800-622-4932, or apply at an individual county's local Division of Family and Children office.