(LEFT) Gleaners CEO Fred Glass shares local hunger facts. (RIGHT) Carmel Rotary Vice President Tyler Smith (right) presents Fred Glass with books to sign for distribution to Carmel grade schools. (Photos provided)
Hamilton County is fifth-highest food-insecure area in state
By DUBBIE BUCKLER
Rotary Club of Carmel
Fred Glass, President and CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, recently shared startling facts at the Carmel Rotary Club about the rise of hunger within Hamilton County and the state.
Glass, former IU athletic director, speaking to Carmel Rotarians following IU’s historic national football championship win, deftly turned attention from the Hoosiers’ victory pride to the pride of Gleaners’ mission to fight hunger across Indiana.
Glass shared surprising data about how food insecurity cuts across all different communities. In Indiana, for the first time ever, more than one million Hoosiers have been found to be food insecure.
Glass cited statistics about the growing challenges of food insecurity, noting that Hamilton County now has the second-highest percentage of people facing hunger in Gleaner’s 21-county service area and ranks fifth in the entire state in number of people with food insecurity. Hamilton County has seen the highest percentage increase in people facing hunger in Gleaners’ 21-county service area since the pandemic.
While some of the people Gleaners serves cannot work because they are elderly, disabled, or children, Glass reported that the vast majority who can work, do work. He said that according to the national organization Feeding America, food insecurity adds $1.8 billion to health care costs in Indiana alone. He added that a Clemson University study found that just a 1 percent increase in food insecurity rate leads to a 12 percent increase in violent crime, and noted that food insecurity negatively impacts workforce productivity and business profitability.
Glass further noted that food-insecure children miss more school, are more likely to repeat a grade, and are less likely to graduate from high school than food-secure children. A Johns Hopkins study found food-insecure college students are 40 percent less likely to graduate.
Glass concluded his presentation by sharing that last year, Gleaners distributed more than 54 million meals throughout its 21-county service area, an all-time record high, on an annual budget-need nearing $100 million. He said that Gleaners strives to shorten food lines by feeding those in line, and described innovative partnerships that help Gleaners deliver meaningful impact at scale, delivering millions of dollars of food annually. He praised local citizens’ service and engagement to help those in need.
Also at the meeting, Carmel Rotary Club President Doug Willard recognized key Rotary volunteers for their CarmelFest leadership. CarmelFest is the Rotary Club of Carmel’s signature fundraising event to support its many community service programs. Noting the annual two-day 4th of July celebration takes a significant amount of time to plan, organize and execute, all done by volunteers, some of CarmelFest’s key volunteers were recognized for their leadership, including CarmelFest Chair Stanley Lebron and committee members Monica Frauhiger, Chaya Reich, and Meg and Brad Osborne.
(From left) Monica Frauhiger, Chaya Reich, President Doug Willard, Brad Osborne, Meg Osborne, and CarmelFest Chair Stanley Lebron. (Photo provided)
About Rotary Club of Carmel
The Rotary Club of Carmel, founded in 1972, regularly contributes to local community projects including the Merciful H.E.L.P. Center, Crooked Creek Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Carmel Summer Lunch Program, Trinity Free Clinic, and many others. Carmel Rotary’s youth outreach includes Leadership Connection, a leadership skills development and scholarship program for Carmel area high school students; Interact, a Rotary-sponsored service club for youth ages 12 to 18; and the Youth Exchange Program, hosting high school students from abroad and sponsoring Carmel area outbound high school students to countries around the globe.
Carmel Rotary is proud to present and provide the leadership for CarmelFest, Carmel’s annual 4th of July parade and celebration. Carmel Rotary is also involved in global service projects within the major focus areas of: Peace and conflict prevention/resolution; Disease prevention and treatment; Water and sanitation, Maternal and child health; Basic education and literacy, and Economic and community development. The longstanding primary goal of Rotary International is the eradication of polio from the face of the earth.
For more information, visit CarmelRotary.com.
