Co-Alliance Partners for Food Security in Tipton, Howard Counties
Feb 10, 2023
Co-Alliance continues to reinvest our dollars into rural communities and initiatives that support safety, food security and agriculture education and leadership. Our employees have seen firsthand the value of many of these programs because how how they’ve directly impacted families and rural areas.
We understand we're part of producing the safest, most abundant food supply in the world; there is no reason why our neighbors should go hungry.
No doubt you know that the price of food (this being groceries, not restaurant experiences) was up 11% in September 2022 compared to September 2021. Consumers are learning just what a family can live on for a month and now cutting out grocery items that are not absolutely essential.
The need for food security has never been greater. One food bank Co-Alliance partners with revealed that their foot traffic more than doubled with the onset of the pandemic. This number has not decreased since the end of the pandemic. Need has only become greater and for extended periods of time. No longer are the holidays the time to drive for food donations. Virtual learning taught us that there is a growing number of school-aged children only eat when they’re in school. How can this population be served in the summer months or on breaks?
So when we get a request in the area of food security it doesn't take us long to respond with some kind of support. We wanted to end this week on a high note and share with you two areas that recently received support from Co-Alliance.
The West Street Christian Church (Tipton, IN), has implemented a “Little Free Pantry” for the last +/- 5 years. It started with small structure on the right, and then they added the slightly larger structure on the left in 2022. The pantry is refilled daily (or as needed, but usually daily or even multiple times per day) with non-perishable food, some paper products, and occasionally personal hygiene items, but mostly food.
Co-Alliance recently donated to this pantry so items can continue to be stocked daily while we move through these cold winter months.
Next, our giving moved just one county west to Howard County. The Buddy Bag Program at Howard Elementary provides food for students to help supplement their families groceries over the weekend when school breakfast/lunch is not available. They currently serve 33 children at Howard Elementary through this program, which recently ran out of funding. They called on Co-Alliance. We sent a donation large enough to ensure the program will continue to serve students through the end of this school year.
The need in both of these instances was brought to our attention by Co-Alliance employees. We're grateful for a team who finds ways to utilize recources to benefit others.
We understand we're part of producing the safest, most abundant food supply in the world; there is no reason why our neighbors should go hungry.
No doubt you know that the price of food (this being groceries, not restaurant experiences) was up 11% in September 2022 compared to September 2021. Consumers are learning just what a family can live on for a month and now cutting out grocery items that are not absolutely essential.
The need for food security has never been greater. One food bank Co-Alliance partners with revealed that their foot traffic more than doubled with the onset of the pandemic. This number has not decreased since the end of the pandemic. Need has only become greater and for extended periods of time. No longer are the holidays the time to drive for food donations. Virtual learning taught us that there is a growing number of school-aged children only eat when they’re in school. How can this population be served in the summer months or on breaks?
So when we get a request in the area of food security it doesn't take us long to respond with some kind of support. We wanted to end this week on a high note and share with you two areas that recently received support from Co-Alliance.
The West Street Christian Church (Tipton, IN), has implemented a “Little Free Pantry” for the last +/- 5 years. It started with small structure on the right, and then they added the slightly larger structure on the left in 2022. The pantry is refilled daily (or as needed, but usually daily or even multiple times per day) with non-perishable food, some paper products, and occasionally personal hygiene items, but mostly food.
Co-Alliance recently donated to this pantry so items can continue to be stocked daily while we move through these cold winter months.
Next, our giving moved just one county west to Howard County. The Buddy Bag Program at Howard Elementary provides food for students to help supplement their families groceries over the weekend when school breakfast/lunch is not available. They currently serve 33 children at Howard Elementary through this program, which recently ran out of funding. They called on Co-Alliance. We sent a donation large enough to ensure the program will continue to serve students through the end of this school year.
The need in both of these instances was brought to our attention by Co-Alliance employees. We're grateful for a team who finds ways to utilize recources to benefit others.