NOBLESVILLE — Money can be tight in the summertime, especially for families who are just trying to put food on the table.
Volunteers at Grace Care Center are stepping in to help.
Grace Care Center’s Choice Food Pantry is the largest food pantry in Hamilton County.
It offers more than your traditional food pantry — fresh produce, meats, dairy and eggs.
“We operate like a grocery store. Everything here is choice based," Executive Director Cara Augspurger said.
The need has grown since the pandemic.
“We know that budgets are tight. Things at the grocery store are often very expensive and rent and utilities have increased too. Families are being stretched," Augspurger said.
In summer 2024, more than 600,000 Indiana families received extra grocery help through a federal program called SUN Bucks.
That program is no longer available in Indiana.
Augspurger says they’re filling that gap.
“We’re offering every family who shops this unmet for about eight weeks, an extra five points to shop with in our pantry. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it really could mean a whole extra week’s worth of lunches," she said.
That's $10,000 in additional groceries every week, for eight weeks. $80,000 total.
Andrew Longest is one of the roughly 250 volunteers who make this operation flow smoothly.
“To me, this was God’s calling for me," Longest said. “The coolest thing for me is we’ll have people come in as friends and then they’ll turn around and volunteer.”
He encourages others to lend a hand.
“It could happen to any of us. We could all be there, and a lot of us have been there. It’s important for us to let them know that it’s not gonna be like this forever. We’re here to help them through that time," he said.
To join in this collaborative effort or to learn more, visit the Grace Care Center website or contact@gccfoundation.us.
