INDIANAPOLIS — As a way to reduce government spending, the legislation could cut hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. These cuts are raising concerns at Gleaner's Food Bank of Indiana.
If the bill passes, Gleaners President and CEO Fred Glass said, "The responsibility to provide $356 million in SNAP benefits will shift from the federal government to the Indiana state government."
If the state can't provide that support, Glass said Hoosiers in need could lose 133 million meals. That's more than the 108 million meals food banks across Indiana provided last year.
WRTV spoke to Rebecca Pardue, President & Founder of Humble Impressions Food Bank. Pardue said she's already seeing more Hoosiers in need.
"I've been there. And I know what it was like to struggle. And to lose everything I had," Pardue said.
Pardue said Humble Impressions food bank is her calling.
"Fires, floods, lost my job and the cancer. I mean, I could keep going on everything that I went through during that journey," Pardue said.
She didn't know that 13 years later, she would be helping thousands of Hoosiers.
"I was dispersing food to the churches and schools, and places in the area, just trying to help out," she recalled.
Pardue turned 8224 Madison Avenue into a community distribution center. Folks can buy clothes at the thrift store and walk next door to the food bank. She said demand has grown tremendously within the last year.
"Started out with 20. Family that showed, and now we're gosh, I don't have a head count, but we have a lot. Probably 500, 600 a week," Pardue said.
Right now, Pardue’s pantry is receiving help through Midwest Food Bank and donations.
The CEO of Gleaners said more than 600,000 Hoosiers relying on SNAP, including children and seniors, could lose those benefits.
“For context, last year Indiana’s 11 food banks, all together, provided 108 million meals to Hoosiers facing hunger. Indiana’s food banks will simply not be able to replace 133 million meals. The more than 610,000 of our fellow Hoosiers who rely on SNAP, including 264,000 children and 82,000 senior citizens, will likely lose all or some of their SNAP benefits and simply not have enough to eat,” Glass said.
The thought of more people needing help to avoid going hungry brings Pardue to tears.
"Honey, it's a joy. It's a joy to serve and to help others in need,” she said. "We as a people need to do a little bit more than what we're doing. As far as giving, sharing. That's a joy in my heart knowing that I'm helping thousands of people a week."
