Every month, FISH of Montgomery County serves nearly 2,200 individuals at the food pantry. About 550 families select items for supplemental nutrition when they visit our location at 1306 E. Main St., Crawfordsville.
The high number of neighbors which the pantry serves places FISH in the top 10% of all pantries in a 16-county area.
The pantry draws from nearly a dozen sources to keep food on the shelves and in the refrigerators and freezers. Among these are various food drives, individual donations, government commodities and directed grant monies as well as surpluses from local groceries and variety stores. In-kind donations of food are the basis of FISH’s pantry stock. However, what happens when foods like cereal, meat and fruit are in short supply? How does FISH fill these gaps?
Food Finders warehouse in Lafayette is a low-cost food source that supplements pantry stock, and our FISH van drivers visit it regularly. Pantries buy food at a steep discount, but FISH is billed for thousands of dollars monthly. Monetary donations sent to FISH at P.O. Box 261, Crawfordsville IN 47933 help pay these costs. We are so grateful for this support, for without it choices can become sparse.
How does Food Finders finance the services it provides to so many pantries, shelters, soup kitchens and individuals? Feeding America, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), United Way of several counties and numerous donors, corporations and foundations fund Food Finders and its numerous assistance programs.
In 2024, Food Finders distributed 12.7 million pounds of food (10.5 million meals) to 16 counties. Newton, Jasper, Pulaski, Fulton, Benton, White, Carrol, Cass, Miami, Warren, Tippecanoe, Clinton, Howard, Fountain, Montgomery and Tipton counties rely on Food Finders for all kinds of help.
But Food Finders is far more than just a food warehouse and distributor. The BackPack Program works with our local schools to provide a reliable source of weekend food for hungry children right here in Montgomery County.
The Mobile Pantry Outreach truck makes monthly visits to every county. This is a no-cost food source available to those earning no more than 185% of the local federal poverty guideline. In Montgomery County, more than 40% of citizens (who often the working poor) fall into this group. Using a drive-through distribution format, volunteers load fresh produce, meat, baked goods and a variety of non-perishable items into each vehicle as it passes by.
Mobile Pantry visits are always sponsored by local organizations and businesses in cooperation with Food Finders. For information about how your organization can sponsor a Mobile Pantry visit, contact Kyle Puetz (kpeutz@food-finder.org). Moreover, volunteer workers are needed for each delivery. Call 765-362-3474 to learn more about how to help.
Food Finders sends its coordinators and outreach workers into communities. SNAP outreach coordinators help eligible Hoosiers sign up for Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) benefits. They teach classes on topics including meal preparation, finance, job readiness, budgeting, and wise shopping to maximize SNAP benefits.
These experts work directly with over 100 partners across the 16-county service area, distributing nutrition to over 84,000 residents experiencing food insecurity. Resource coordinators help connect neighbors to local resources such as healthcare, job training, childcare assistance and employment.
FISH of Montgomery County relies on both local and regional partners to address the unmet food, clothing and household needs of the community. We are so very grateful for the support of our local community as we fight hunger and offer hope to neighbors in need.
Elaine Chase is co-president of FISH. She contributes a monthly column to the Journal Review.
