Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana received a grant from Feeding America and CVS Health that will allow us to continue providing quality, nutritious foods to our neighbors in need.
CVS Health has a longtime partnership with Feeding America, giving the pharmacy opportunities to give grant awards that align with its commitment to advancing health equity. Thanks to generous donations from CVS Pharmacy customers, Gleaners is able to continue in our mission in being leaders in the fight against hunger. The $109,000 grant will go toward food acquisition costs, which have continued to rise since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In fiscal year 2023, Gleaners distributed 19.6 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables across our 21-county service area. Additionally, we distributed 5.7 million pounds of dairy. Getting that amount of food out to hungry Hoosiers doesn’t come cheap. We anticipate spending $7.7 million on food acquisition in fiscal year 2024. That’s up from spending just $1.9 million in fiscal year 2019, pre-pandemic. The increase is attributed to rising need and declining government provisions.
Despite the costs, we continue to find ways to feed the 1 in 10 Hoosiers facing hunger in our service area. As demand at food banks continues to rise, we are thankful for Feeding America and partners like CVS Health that help us fulfill our mission.