Gleaners Helps Feed Hoosiers During Government Shutdown
Gleaners Steps in to Help Feed Hoosiers During Government Shutdown
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – With the federal government shutdown continuing, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana is proactively working to prevent widespread hunger among federal workers, military families, and vulnerable residents who are seeing essential food programs threatened.
Fred Glass, President and CEO of Gleaners, expressed deep concern over the human cost of the political stalemate when he spoke to WISH-TV.
“The government shutdown is directly hurting Hoosiers, particularly the military and other federal workers, as well as small businesses, who are not receiving the pay they deserve and rely on,” Glass observed. He noted the irony: “It’s the ultimate irony to me that we have all of these federal workers in Indiana who are working and not getting paid. And we have congressmen who are getting paid and not working.”
Emergency Aid for Federal Employees
Approximately 24,000 Hoosiers work for federal agencies—including the TSA, FAA, FBI, and Department of Veterans Affairs—and over 1,100 serve in the active-duty military. Many of these essential workers will stop receiving paychecks this month.
Glass emphasized the financial strain this places on families who are typically financially stable. “These are people who are generally well paid, who probably never even thought about being in the pantry line,” he said. “And because of this government shutdown, they’re being forced to seek charitable food, to put food on the table for their families.”
Gleaners has contacted all central Indiana federal agencies, offering support. For instance, the food bank is partnering with the TSA at the Indianapolis International Airport to provide regular food distributions of fresh produce, milk, eggs, and protein to their approximately 350 employees. Already, 225 TSA employees have signed up for this special assistance.
Critical Programs Face Imminent Cuts
Beyond federal employees, the shutdown threatens vital nutrition programs, pushing “hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers deeper into hunger,” according to Gleaners.
WIC Program: Funding for the Women, Infants, and Children program is expected to run out by the end of this month. This will sever nutrition benefits for about 156,000 Hoosiers, more than half of whom are young children.
SNAP Payments: The USDA has directed states to suspend November SNAP payments. More than 600,000 Hoosiers rely on SNAP to meet basic nutrition needs.
School Meals: Funding for federal child nutrition programs will be disrupted, jeopardizing the school breakfasts and lunches that almost half of all children in Indiana’s public schools rely on.
Glass concluded that the severity of the crisis demands action. “For many, the shutdown is affecting their ability to feed their families at the worst possible time, when grocery prices continue to rise and food insecurity rates are at their highest in a decade.”
Gleaners has vowed to “redouble its efforts to provide nutritious food to Hoosiers who are hurting,” but the food bank is also impacted, as it cannot request food it normally receives from federal programs during the shutdown.
