The food bank has been working to transition away from COVID-era distribution models, but now it’s also a protective measure “in anticipation of shifts in federal funding under current administration” as they are “adapting to ensure it can continue to meet community needs sustainably.”
President Donald Trump issued several executive orders that called for pauses in federal grant funding so his administration could review them for alignment with Trump’s priorities. It’s unclear what funding could be canceled, as legal challenges are pending.
Brunner said nearly half of the food Second Harvest distributes is supplied by the government, so any freeze that might affect them “could result in millions of pounds lost, and that’s just for our food bank.”
“This shift allows us to refocus on empowering and expanding our network of local partner agencies, who are best equipped to serve neighbors throughout Clark County,” said Executive Director Andy Irick. “By strengthening these partnerships, we can extend our collective impact, even amid challenges posed by funding uncertainties.”
The final dates and locations for direct distribution in Clark County will be:
- Community Gardens of New Carlisle mobile distributions on Feb. 4.
- Clark State College mobile distributions on Feb. 10.
- Onsite alley distribution at Second Harvest, 20 N. Murray St., on Feb. 27.
Before and during COVID, a lot of programs focused on providing food directly to people, but since it’s a small food bank, they don’t have the staff to be direct suppliers. Over the last 18 months, Brunner said they have been shifting toward supporting their partner agencies to distribute food and finding programs that give people choice, like the Order Ahead program and food lockers.
The food locker program will allow residents to place customized grocery orders online, which are then prepared and made available for pick-up in refrigerated, frozen or non-temperature-controlled lockers.
Brunner said the food lockers have been delivered and installed, and staff will go through a training process in February in hopes for the first orders to be placed in March.
The food bank sources, collects, stores and distributes six million pounds of food to 65 nonprofit member agencies that feed the community directly.
For more information about the updated distribution schedule or upcoming programs, call 937-325-8715 or visit www.theshfb.org.
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