Supplied by Lynn Pickett
Food insecurity, the lack of access to enough food for a healthy life, is a reality for many across Indiana, and Wayne County is no exception.
The fear that a household’s supply of available food will run out completely before money to resupply is available affects over 10,000 people in the county, according to a 2022 analysis by Feeding America. The most vulnerable in our community are the children.
No one understands this truth more than Kyle Ingram, executive director of Circle U Help Center in Richmond.
Donations to Circle U’s facility at 19 N. 13th St., including cash and food items, are down. Coupled with the increased cost of food, even at wholesale prices from Gleaners Food Bank in Indianapolis, creates a perfect storm when trying to find enough resources to help.
So far, in 2024, Circle U has experienced an increase of 27% in the need for food.
“Over the last year, as an example, we were serving 85 to 90 meals daily (in the Circle U dining room) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays,” Ingram said. “Now, we’re up to 120 per day and our pantry numbers that were 550 to 600 per month are close to 900.”
Food served in the dining room is often provided to Circle U by community partners including Kroger, Walmart, Reid Health, Needler’s, Red Lobster, Starbucks and Olive Garden.
Food given away at the Circle U pantry locations, provided to Communities in Schools for hungry children and delivered to homebound people on Saturday mornings comes from individuals’ and organizations’ donations and are supplemented by purchased food through Gleaners Food Bank.
The supply of food coming from Gleaners was at an all-time low point of 4,200 pounds in August, down from the pandemic period that topped 25,000 pounds monthly.
The overwhelming need is relentless and the resources dwindle, but Ingram remains positive.
“What I have found in this community is that Richmond, both private citizens and businesses, is a very caring and giving community,” he said. “We can’t be successful without people who give.”
One such effort to help gather much-needed resources is a free concert that will be presented by First English Lutheran Church (FELC) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, at Elstro Plaza, 47 N. Sixth St., Richmond.
It is a free concert, but a free-will offering will be accepted and bringing canned meats, fruits, vegetables and beans is encouraged.
The concert will feature selections written by award-winning artists and performed by local musicians and singers. The music will highlight favorites from the ’70s and ’80s along with plenty of toe-tapping show tunes.
The musical director for the concert is Andrew Triana, FELC’s music minister. He spent 20 years involved with off-Broadway productions, has taught voice for seven years here in Richmond, been involved in regional theater work and has access to a variety of local artists.
“This is our way of reaching out into our community and helping those in need,” Triana said. “We are reaching wider and growing deeper.”
A version of this article appeared in the September 4 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.