Floodwaters may have receded across Indiana, but for too many families, the recovery has just begun.
Weeks after devastating flooding displaced hundreds and damaged homes in Connersville, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and its community partners are still helping ensure people there have enough to eat.
Gleaners recently delivered a truckload of food to Crosspointe Biker Church in Connersville after another relief organization pulled funding. Volunteers have been serving meals every day since the flooding. Organizers said the Gleaners delivery helped ensure people already impacted by the floods didn’t go without food.
A volunteer distributes hot meals made with food provided by Gleaners.
For Crosspointe Pastor Chris Lovett, the response is an extension of a partnership with Gleaners that dates back more than a decade.
“[Gleaners] dropped everything, had us a truck in two and a half hours with all kinds of good stuff,” Lovett said.
Pastor Chris Lovett, right, helps lead and organize food relief distributions in Connersville.
The need extends well beyond Connersville. Lovett said flooding affected more than 400 families across the region, with damage stretching from Cambridge City to Laurel. Crosspointe is serving between 300 and 600 people each day across the three communities.
Some families remain in water-damaged homes. Others are returning to houses where drywall and other damaged materials have been removed. Many, Lovett said, did not have flood insurance and lost nearly everything.
“There’s stuff littered all the way down from Cambridge City all the way down to Laurel, just the stuff from people’s houses and farms. It’s just been a tough time,” he said. “They feel like they don’t have anywhere to go.”
Food can provide one small measure of stability amid that uncertainty.
Churches and community organizations in Connersville team up to provide food, showers and assistance to people impacted by floods.
Crosspointe volunteers begin their days by preparing breakfast for crews who have traveled to the area to help with recovery efforts. They continue preparing food throughout the day, serving lunch and dinner to neighbors affected by the disaster.
“The food helps them at least not have to worry about getting food and being able to provide for their families,” Lovett said.
That work is powered by volunteers such as Jaden Lynn, a Connersville resident who came to help after learning Crosspointe needed additional people to serve meals.
A Gleaners truck prepares to deliver food to Crosspointe Biker Church in Connersville.
“People need fed, and they need support, love and compassion. If you’re not affected by it directly, then there’s others who are,” Lynn said. “You can’t just sit there. You gotta go help the ones in your community. If you don’t, you don’t have a community,” Lynn said.
That spirit of collaboration has brought together churches, first responders, volunteers and organizations from inside and outside Indiana.
Ned Arthur, another responding volunteer who helps distribute food, said the response belongs to the entire community.
“People’s lives have just been turned upside down,” Arthur said. “It’s a chance for us to give back to the community.”
For Gleaners, disaster response does not end when floodwaters recede. Recovery can take months or longer, and access to nutritious food remains critical as families face unexpected expenses, damaged homes and disrupted routines.
Volunteers prepare hot meals for community members impacted by recent flooding.
Through partnerships with organizations like Crosspointe, Gleaners can help local leaders respond to changing needs and ensure food reaches neighbors where they are.
Lovett said Crosspointe’s approach is simple.
“We’ll feed anybody, anytime, anywhere,” he said.
As Connersville and surrounding communities face a long road to recovery, Gleaners will continue working alongside local partners to help ensure food is one less thing neighbors have to worry about.
