Serving the Hungry - Spring 2018 Newsletter
Affording the Local Standard of Living
There are many people who would
say they watch their spending on
groceries and try to cut costs where
they can. But it’s different for Gina
Marlow.
It’s more than just clipping coupons.
It’s something she’s had to memorize,
something she’s studied.
For example, she knows – off the top
of her head – that milk is 20 cents
cheaper at Dollar General than at
Walmart. She knows when Aldi is
having a sale on meat, and she knows
exactly how much the price of eggs
has risen in the past three months.
“My secret to making my food stamps
last is I budget shop,” she said. “It’s
just managing with what you have. It’s
trying to find the biggest packages for
the cheapest price and then you can
split those up and make several meals
out of it.”
Gina, 43, who has lived in Margaret
Avenue Housing Project apartments
since 2010, is not alone in her
struggle to feed her family.
In January 2017, there were 6,139
Vigo County households who utilized
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP, commonly referred
to as food stamps), according to the
most recent data from the Family
and Social Services Administration’s
Division of Family Resources. That’s
a 6.35 percent decrease from the
number of households using food
stamps in January 2016.
In 2015, 22.9 percent of Vigo
County children experienced food
insecurity, according to the most recent Kids
Count data. That’s higher than the state
average for child food insecurity,
which was 19.1 percent in 2015.
Gina knows when the nearest
churches have free meals too, just in
case she should ever need them.
“If you carefully, carefully budget,
you can make it, but there’s always
going to be exceptions. If you run
low [Salvation Army or St. Joseph University Parish] is there and we can
get something to eat, they both have
a food pantry,” Gina said, adding she
appreciates the meals Ryves serves
every evening during the week and
Foursquare Gospel serves on Sunday
mornings. “It’s real hard when the kids
are out of school because of weather. We struggle because they don’t go
to school to get their meals on those
days.”
Gina says she learned a lot of coping
skills from her mom who raised seven
children on her own.
“My mom stretched [the food stamps]
as far as she could. Sometimes, the
last week, we wouldn’t have much
so she’d have to go to friends or
her family,” she said. “My mom was
a budget shopper. … I remember
seeing her struggling trying to feed
us, and I don’t know why, but I paid a
lot of close attention to that.”
It is difficult but Gina is doing her
best to provide for her own children,
Samantha, 9, and Tasha, 5. Tasha
has autism and special dietary needs,
so Gina spends more on gluten-free
foods and tries to purchase as much
fresh fruits and vegetables as her
daughters need. She noticed her
preschooler often cried after eating
and had an upset stomach, so she
began experimenting with her diet,
cutting dairy and then gluten— getting rid of gluten made Tasha feel
better.
“It’s very hard to shop healthy when
you have limited income,” Gina said,
giving the example of pop being
cheaper than juice. “A lot of people
are like, ‘they get food stamps, they
can buy steaks.’ No you can’t. Not
if you want to eat for the rest of the
month.”
She tries to stick as closely as
possible to the $338 per month from SNAP she has to
feed her three-person
household. That’s
a drop from what
she used to receive
before Tasha was
approved for disability
assistance for her
autism.
To qualify for SNAP
in Indiana, a three-person
household’s
monthly income must
be $2,177 or less,
or $26,124 a year.
The federal poverty
threshold is $20,090
in annual income
for a three-person
household, but a 2014
report commissioned
by United Way says a
four-person family in
Indiana actually needs $46,495 a year
to afford basic necessities.
That gap between the poverty line
and what’s needed to afford the local
standard of living leaves many local
families food insecure, meaning they
lack access to sufficient food or don’t
know when sufficient food will be
available to them.
In 2015, 22.9 percent of Vigo County
children experienced food insecurity,
according to the most recent Kids
Count data. That’s higher than the
state average for child food insecurity,
which was 19.1 percent in 2015.
Gina enrolled at Ivy Tech in 2012,
attending classes part-time so
she can spend more time with her
daughters and participate in Tasha’s
therapy. Previously, she worked at the
former Mike’s Market store on South
Third Street in Terre Haute for almost
10 years before it shut down in 2017.
Gina is completing a concentration
in foreign language as part of her
degree. She’d like to teach preschool
one day, or work with Spanishspeaking
children with autism — a
cause she’s passionate about based
on her daughter’s experiences.
“I have big dreams,” she said.
Gina says her daughters have been
her motivation to earn a degree and
make a better life for them.
When the family gets ready to eat,
they pull up stools in front of the
couch and desk chair in their living
room to balance their plates on.
The extent of the first floor of their
apartment, which can be crossed from
front door to back door in about 18
steps, is the kitchen and living room.
There’s no room for a dining room
table and chairs.
“That’s my dream is to have a house
with a kitchen that’s big enough to put
a table in there,” Gina said.
A Word from the Agency Director
Dear Friends,
Normally I don’t try to take on the role
of confronting government proposals
that attempt to fix something that isn’t
broken. However, recently the strategy
as to how we ensure families have
access to nutrition has come under
scrutiny. It is my hope this shift includes
a factual and realistic look at the
benefits of the current program called
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP, commonly referred to
as food stamps).
Almost every day brings new reports
that Congress is interested in further
whittling away at the programs
comprising the social safety net for lowincome
households, the disabled and
the elderly. The program we are most
concerned about is SNAP, a program
that helps 692,024 low-income Hoosiers
buy essential groceries each month for
themselves and their families.
SNAP and other nutrition programs
are part of the Farm Bill which is up
for renewal in 2018. A current budget
(at the time of this writing) proposes
cutting SNAP benefits by $193 million.
Some members of Congress are
now seeking to further slash benefits,
change the structure and add work
requirements to this important program
(most SNAP recipients who are able to
work, already do).
What they may fail to understand
however, is that SNAP in its current
form is effective and efficient.
SNAP provides nutrition assistance
for our state’s most vulnerable
people. Here in Indiana, SNAP
predominantly aids households
with children, seniors, and people
with disabilities. These benefits pay
long-term dividends – in addition to
reducing hunger. Those who receive SNAP benefits in early
childhood have lower risks of obesity,
high blood pressure, heart disease,
and diabetes as adults.
SNAP benefits the economy.
SNAP is associated with higher
use of preventive care, which can
contribute to lower healthcare costs
overall. Furthermore, SNAP pumped
$81,682,191 into Indiana’s economy
in 2016 alone. The program is
also responsible for helping to
lift thousands of Hoosier’s out of
poverty.
Not only does SNAP work, – for
those most in need and for the state’s
economy at large – but its current
structure allows the program to
expand in times of greater need, such
as the 2008 recession, and contract
in times of economic prosperity.
Thousands of households depend on
SNAP benefits to help make ends meet.
Even in Hamilton County, one of the
wealthiest counties in the state, 12.6%
of our children are food insecure. SNAP
benefits are essential for helping our
children face each day ready to thrive.
Families and individuals need SNAP to
meet basic nutritional needs.
It is our time to let Washington DC know
that feeding the most vulnerable in our
communities is vital to our future and
that it is not acceptable for children and
senior citizens to be left hungry. Please
urge your Congressional representative
to protect SNAP in its current form.
Thank you and God be with you,
John C. Etling
Agency Director
Soup Bowl Benefit
Soup Bowl Benefit 2018 is in the
books and it was a great success -
thanks to you!
Attendees sampled two dozen soups,
assorted breads and desserts from
handmade bowls crafted by dozens of
area artists while listening to performing
musical artists inside Maryland
Community Church. The event was a
near sell-out, and over $19,000 was
raised to benefit Terre Haute Catholic
Charities Foodbank.
A recent study finds approximately 41,000
individuals - or one in six Hoosiers - living
within our service area are food insecure,
meaning they have difficulty meeting
basic food needs.
As a result of your generosity, as many
as 76,700 meals can be provided by
the Foodbank and its 90+ member
agencies throughout Clay, Greene,
Knox, Parke, Sullivan, Vermillion and
Vigo counties. This event enables us
to continue the mission of serving more
who struggle to provide for themselves
in our communities.
Just as Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank depends
on volunteers to help feed the hungry all year, the Soup
Bowl Benefit relies on a community of volunteers to make
this event successful.
In addition to the planning committee, dozens volunteered
their time to help set up, clean up and serve soup. Our
appreciation goes out to the Soup Bowl Benefit volunteers,
donors, sponsors and attendees for making this year’s
event a huge success!
We wholeheartedly THANK YOU!
National Association of Letter
Carriers 26th Annual Stamp
Out Hunger Food Drive
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Fill a bag with non-perishable food and leave
it by your mailbox by 9:00am on Saturday, May
12. Your letter carrier and Terre Haute Catholic
Charities Foodbank will make sure it gets to
people in need in our communities.
Need Help Finding Food?
If you need help finding food or know someone who does, call the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479). The Hunger Hotline is available Monday – Friday from 9am – 6pm. All calls are free and confidential. Help someone you know receive the nutrition they need to remain healthy and productive.
