When Norma Hernandez first walked through the doors of the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center’s pantry on Indy’s west side two years ago, she wasn’t there to give back. She was there because she lost everything.
“Two years ago, our house burnt down. To the floor, like everything,” Hernandez said.
Smoke billows out of Norma Hernandez’s house. Her family lost everything they owned in a 2023 fire.
Gone were the many happy memories the house held, along with every bit of food, water and shelter the family needed. Left with nothing but the clothes on their backs, Hernandez and her family were encouraged to visit local food pantries to survive.
For Norma, the idea was a frightening one.
“At first, when they sent us to pantries, I was like, ‘I don’t want to go. Everyone’s going to know we don’t have any money,'” Hernandez said.
Left with no other option, Hernandez walked into the food pantry at Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center and stood in line for food. What she found inside was much more.
Among the stacked shelves at Mary Rigg were volunteers and staff members who showered the family with empathy and concern.
“They created a personal bond with me. It felt different from other food pantries where they just hand you a bag and you’re off,” Hernandez said.
That bond is at the heart of Mary Rigg’s approach to addressing food access in west Indianapolis, where limited grocery options, high unemployment and transportation barriers have long made it difficult for families to access healthy food.
The Mary Rigg Food Pantry serves neighbors on the west side of Indianapolis.
The experience changed Hernandez. Now, as her new home nears a construction finishing date two years later, she’s still walking through the doors at Mary Rigg.
Now, Hernandez comes to volunteer and said what she went through gave her a fresh perspective on the experiences of neighbors facing food insecurity.
“I wanted to give back. I mean, they helped me,” she said.
Mary Rigg recently transitioned to a grocery store-style pantry, allowing families to select the foods that best meet their needs, rather than receiving pre-packed boxes.
The model increases access to fresh options and transforms the experience into something more personal.
Follow along with our Food for Thought blog to read more on how Mary Rigg created this new space for neighbors.
