food pantry

Despite troubling trends, Food Bank of Northern Indiana Executive Director Marijo Martinec says she's confident the community will step up and help the hungry as SNAP benefits freeze during the federal government shutdown.

The Community Foundation of Elkhart County this week bought a large amount of food and is distributing it to 61 pantries. They'll need more volunteers to help hand out the food, especially after Saturday when the federal government shutdown freezes SNAP benefits.

To brace for SNAP benefits ending Saturday because of the federal government shutdown, Portage Township Trustee Jason Critchlow says food pantries and social service nonprofits have resumed their Emergency Food Initiative from the Covid pandemic shutdown.

Portage Township Trustee Jason Critchlow says SNAP recipients shouldn't wait until Nov. 1 to prepare to lose their benefits. He suggests keeping current on paperwork, trying to stretch food spending more this week, and reaching out to food pantries.

Granger Community Church Pastor Ted Bryant says the city of South Bend's plans to redevelop public housing sites downtown are too vague to keep its community center there so underutilized.