By Kim Williams—
East Central, IN – Heart of Indiana United Way’s first Feeding Our Neighbors fundraising campaign, raised $17,207 to support local food pantries. The campaign, run during the month of April, was designed to address the region’s increased need for healthy food during this challenging financial time for many families.
“The reality is that 1 in 8 Hoosiers struggle with food insecurity, and 1 in 7 are children. Pair that with the increasing costs for food and we know our local food pantries are seeing more families than ever before,” Heart of Indiana United Way President and CEO Jenni Marsh said. “Through this campaign, United Way was able to help support and provide additional resources to feed local families and children.”
One of the greatest factors in the campaign’s success was a $5,000 match from Northwest Bank. The match provided a $1 or $1 match on all donations made during the campaign up to $5,000.
“Giving back is part of our DNA at Northwest Bank. It’s part of our commitment to the communities we serve,” shared Jennifer Gibson, Indiana Region President for Northwest Bank. “We were honored to offer the match and do our part to help local families facing food insecurity.”
In addition to Northwest Bank’s match, many donors came together and gave to make the campaign a success.
Funds raised through the “Feeding our Neighbors Campaign” will be distributed to 17 local food pantries across the 5 counties served by Heart of Indiana United Way – Delaware, Henry, Fayette, Madison and Randolph. Pantries that will benefit from funds raised include: Anderson First Church of the Nazarene, Carrie Mae Hyatt Food Pantry, Christian Ministries, Community Sharing Foundation, Community Shepard’s Food Pantry–Gaston United Methodist, Fayette County Community Voices, Friends Church Pantry, God’s Grain Bin, Henry County Salvation Army, Inside Out, Operation Love Ministries, Park Place Food Pantry, Parker Community Food Pantry, Salvation Army – Madison County, Second Harvest, Union City Community Help Center, Whitely Community Council, and Winchester Area Churches and Community Food Pantry.
About Heart of Indiana United Way
Heart of Indiana United Way was established in July of 2021 when two organizations, United Way of Madison County (which also serves Fayette County) and United Way of Delaware, Henry & Randolph Counties, joined forces to transform and improve more lives in Indiana. Heart of Indiana United Way works to improve the quality of life in the five counties we serve, by engaging people and organizations to advance education, financial stability, and access to quality health care. www.heartofindiana.org
