GREENFIELD — While the Hancock County Public Library is currently closed, its parking lot was full on Wednesday, April 8. Cars lined up as community members received free food from a Fishers church offering relief for those struggling during the pandemic.
ITOWN Church was host for the event, distributing boxes of food to people in a steady line of cars. The church, which is based in Fishers, also offers online services and plans to open a Greenfield campus later this year.
“We just want to meet the needs of Greenfield as best as we can,” the church’s Greenfield pastor, Derek Lopez, said. “You see how many cars there are and you see the needs. People need food, they need prayer, they need loved on. People need hope. And we really believe people just need Jesus. We’re filling that void as much as we can.”
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The COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing requirements that followed it have had a harsh impact on the U.S. economy. While the federal government is aiming to provide a bailout, millions of people have already lost jobs or income. That comes with an increase in food insecurity, and food banks are feeling the strain. Feeding America, the largest organization of food banks, is projecting a $1.4 billion budget shortfall in the next six months.
ITOWN church members hope they can help fill in the gap locally. Volunteers at the event wore personal protective equipment and placed food directly in the cars of those lined up to receive parcels, taking care to follow all government social distancing requirements.
During the COVID-19 crisis, the church has been purchasing food from Midwest Food Bank and other suppliers to hold events like this one, outreach pastor Mike Woods said.
Boxes at the Greenfield event contained enough food to provide five dinners for a family of four.
“With the schools closing and people not being able to go to work, we knew that it would leave families in a pretty bad spot. We wanted to make sure that we got enough product and enough food to go around Marion County and here in Greenfield and feed as many people as we can,” Woods said. “We love Greenfield, Indiana, and wanted to make sure that we were here to support our neighborhoods.”
ITOWN worked with local churches, nonprofits and Hancock Regional Hospital to get the word out about the event. Some in attendance heard about it from their own churches or simply by driving by.
The line included people who have lost their jobs as well as those who have been nervous about visiting grocery stores due to health concerns. But all said they were grateful for the extra help.
Terry Hamilton, one person in line, said he had lost his job in manufacturing and was experiencing financial strain since he had not yet received any unemployment benefits. He said the community response was encouraging, but that there was more the government could do to help people in need.
“They could get their unemployment checks out to them,” he said.
Sandra Kapp lives with her daughter and three grandchildren and said the extra food would help her feed a household with needs that have increased since school is no longer in session.
“We’ve had to buy more food, and that put my and my daughter’s car payments back,” Kapp said.
Though no one in Kapp’s family has lost a job due to COVID-19, she said adjusting to social distancing has been difficult.
“The e-learning thing with schools isn’t too bad, but when you’ve got an autistic child that’s not used to the routine, it can be difficult,” she said.
Daniela Stinson, a teacher at Stonybrook Intermediate Academy in Warren Township who picked up a box of food, said her family had not lost any income due to the virus but was still experiencing the strain of staying at home.
“There’s a lot of different things that we have to do at home to keep four kids engaged in some learning activities, free-time activities, while we can’t go anywhere,” Stinson said. “Trying to juggle my school kids’ home learning, being on Zoom with them, and then my own children having to be on Zoom or in digital classrooms at the same time I’m supposed to be working is a little difficult.”
Stinson said events like this one are encouraging signs of the community’s response.
“I think the communities not only here but in the surrounding counties are doing a good job of trying to keep families fed, kids especially. As far as staying at home, no large gatherings, that still needs to be better,” she said.
Woods said the church will continue to provide food as the crisis continues, as well as offering counseling services and other forms of support.
“We believe it’s the church’s job to be in front of crisis. If there’s a public health crisis, the church should really be stepping in and providing the resources, the guidance, and the leadership to respond quickly.” “We believe the church is the hope of the world. We don’t have fear, we don’t have any anxiety… A lot of people are very nervous, they’re very afraid of what’s going to happen over the next couple of months, so we want to take that pressure off.”