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Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) announced today that Indiana food banks will receive a combined total of $2 million to support their efforts in feeding Hoosiers in need.

“Food insecure Hoosiers are some of our most vulnerable and I appreciate the general assembly’s support of these individuals and families,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “This funding will go a long way in supporting 11 food banks that provide the necessary nutrition to food pantries and soup kitchens across our state.”

According to Feeding Indiana’s Hungry (FIH), more than 950,000 Hoosiers, including 1 in 5 children, experienced food insecurity in 2022, the most recent data available. This new data represents a 30% increase in food insecurity over 2021.

“As we have said for nearly four years, our member food banks continue to serve record numbers of Hoosier families. Too many of our neighbors continue to face difficult choices between paying bills and buying groceries. For any Hoosier to be unsure from where their next meal will come is unacceptable,” said Emily Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry. “We’re grateful for the support of the Indiana General Assembly, Lt. Gov. Crouch and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture for providing additional and much needed support to our members to help them serve our Hoosier neighbors and our communities.”

Indiana food pantries and soup kitchens are a subsect of food banks. There are 11 food banks which supply pantries and soup kitchens across the state. Each food bank received part of the $2 million in funding, which supplies community food pantries, kitchens, churches and more. This funding will allow food pantries, soup kitchens and other food distribution centers to receive additional food products from the food bank that serves their location.

ISDA Director Don Lamb is proud to help assist our food banks and pantries that feed Hoosiers.

“Indiana farmers are skilled at growing an abundance of safe, reliable food and food banks and pantries have the necessary resources and skills to distribute large amounts of food to help community members in need,” said Lamb. “We are so thankful for the work food banks, pantries, soup kitchens and others do for their communities in helping food insecure Hoosiers.”

The funding was provided by the Indiana General Assembly, as part of its biennial budget. The distribution amounts were determined using The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TFAP) fair share percentages for Indiana, which captures poverty and unemployment levels in each county.

Carmen Cumberland, Executive Director and CEO of Community Harvest Food Bank in Fort Wayne, is excited to be able to support more families.

“Community Harvest Food Bank is humbled and thrilled to receive this bountiful grant of $197,800 from the General Assembly and Indiana State Department of Agriculture. This funding comes when our friends and neighbors struggle to afford rent, car payments and basic needs. Inflation’s impact on daily living has left some families choosing between keeping their car or their house, let alone, figuring out how to get food on their tables. These are people with jobs, families, support networks, and resources who the cost of living has simply outpaced," said Cumberland. "Last week, our Saturday Helping Hands distribution reached a record high of 1,622 families seeking food assistance. Food insecurity is not going anywhere soon, and that’s why these funds are greatly significant in lifting those we love and care about in our community.”

The following list includes the food banks are receiving funding for fiscal year 2025:

Community Harvest Food Bank – $197,800
Dare to Care Food Bank – $75,200
Food Bank of Northern Indiana – $233,600
Food Bank of Northwest Indiana – $198,800
Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. – $195,800
FreeStore Foodbank– $16,000
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc. – $693,200
Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Inc. – $80,000
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central IN, Inc. – $155,200
Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank, Inc. – $89,200
Tri-State Food Bank, Inc. – $119,200

Visit isda.in.gov to learn more about the Indiana State Department of Agriculture Department. Visit feedingindianashungry.org to learn more about Feeding Indiana’s Hungry.

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By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer

Over $41,500 was raised locally for the Children’s Miracle Network. Walmart in Salem raised over $40,000, and the Salem Fire Department raised $1500.

Children’s Miracle Network raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals that support the health of 12 million kids each year.

All monies raised at the local Walmart go to the closest hospitals in the area. Riley Children’s Hospital at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis is the closest hospital. It has been in business since 1924, has 456 beds and is a Level One Pediatric Trauma center. Riley Hospital has many programs and specialty units for children and provides services for 300,000 patients per year.

Walmart and Sam’s Club conducted a fund raiser June 10 to July7 for the Children’s Miracle Network. Their annual event is called the “Spark Good and Change Kid’s Health Campaign.”

According to spokesperson Mindy Garland, it’s a year-round process at the Salem Walmart. Shoppers can round-up their purchases in change as a donation. She credits manager Alisha Gay with helping to raise these funds. Walmart sells snow cones, popcorn and goodie bags. In the future, they will be selling cookbooks with recipes provided by local residents.
Walmart corporate has contributed over one billion dollars since 1987 to charities. There was also a side x side rally earlier in the year featuring street-legal all-terrain utility vehicles that meet safety requirements and obtain the required state and local licenses.

Walmart also sells Marion Kay Spices as a fund-raiser. Marion Kay Spices is located in Brownstown and has been in business 101 years. Donations from sales can range from 35% to 50%.

Another funding raising item is Sudz liquid detergent in a five-gallon bucket.

We thank our local Walmart and fire department for their efforts.

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Indiana will expand its Pregnancy Promise Program to support more expectant and new mothers with substance use disorders. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) received a three-year, up to $2.7 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which will allow it to support an additional 300 pregnant Hoosiers over the next three years, with a focus on those living in rural and under-resourced communities.

“The program’s multigeneration approach supports pregnant women and infants from the prenatal period through 12 months postpartum,” FSSA Secretary Dr. Dan Rusyniak said. “Not only are we helping mothers find treatment and sustain recovery, but we also ensure infants have an established pediatrician, appropriate referrals to pediatric specialists as needed, and developmental support services.”

The Pregnancy Promise Program has supported more than 900 mothers since it launched in 2021. While maternal and infant mortality rates are decreasing slightly across Indiana, data from the most recent Indiana Maternal Morality Review Committee’s annual report shows substance use disorder and overdose continues to be a leading cause of maternal death in the state.

The program has resulted in high rates of sustained recovery for mothers, continuity of medications prescribed to treat opioid use disorder, prevention of preterm births, healthy infant birth weights, and access to resources to address unmet health related and social needs including stable housing, transportation, food security and child care, leading to family preservation and reunification.

The Pregnancy Promise Program partners with Indiana Medicaid managed care health plans to provide case management and care coordination services to participants who receive highly skilled support from an experienced nurse or social worker through the Medicaid health plan, ensuring pregnant individuals are receiving treatment and health care in their local community.

“We are excited about this grant, which will bolster and expand FSSA’s existing program for pregnant individuals suffering from substance-use,” Pregnancy Promise program manager Elizabeth Wahl said. “The program’s goals are clear — to save infant and maternal lives, preserve family units by securing needed resources, ensure reliable access to appropriate care and put an end to generational cycles of substance use and trauma. This program has witnessed families persevere, transform their lives and find hope for the future.”

The grant will expand services for pregnant and postpartum individuals with a primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder; remove barriers and expand outpatient treatment and recovery support services for pregnant and postpartum individuals with a substance use disorder; and promote a coordinated system of care across health care and family support providers.

The FSSA will partner with Centerstone, a community mental health center, and VOA Fresh Start, a residential treatment program, to enhance services. This funding will allow uninsured and under-insured pregnant individuals access to additional support.

Anyone can make a confidential referral to the Pregnancy Promise Program here.

The program has been funded with a five-year award from the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation, which ends Dec. 31. This grant is scheduled to begin Sept. 30.

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Rising temperatures mean that you may see a natural fish die-off in the summer months. There are various reasons you may spot one:

Increased water temperatures cause increased stress on fish, due to the drop in dissolved oxygen in the water. When dissolved oxygen levels are too low, many fish cannot survive. Rapid temperature fluctuations can also cause fish to become more susceptible to infections.
Stress from overpopulation and increased competition for resources, such as dissolved oxygen, can result in increased fish deaths.

While fish die-offs are natural in the summer, you can still report them at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife. Find resources for managing your own private ponds on our website.

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The Falls of the Ohio Foundation will host Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper for their annual benefit concert, Rock the Rocks - Presented by Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. The live outdoor concert on the 390-million-year-old fossil beds of the Falls of the Ohio State Park, located at 201 West Riverside Drive, will take place on Saturday, September 28, at 4 p.m. Opening will be Dean Heckel and The Jason Carter Band.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have these three incredible artists on the fossil beds of the Falls of the Ohio State Park,” said Kenton Wooden, executive director of the Foundation. “This is a truly unique concert experience that helps us highlight and steward the natural, cultural, and historic resources of this amazing landscape. There is nowhere else in the world where you can embed yourself into a landscape millions of years in the making, surrounded by natural beauty and the sounds of these incredible artists.”

Rock the Rocks is being presented by the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, home of Kentucky’s first distiller who got his start on the banks of the Ohio River. All tickets include free food and drink, with a portion of every ticket supporting the mission of the Falls of the Ohio Foundation. Tickets are on sale at https://www.fallsoftheohio.org/.