Food banks all over the country are facing rising costs, growing need.
With 1 in 6 American’s going hungry; it would only make sense that the demand placed on our local food pantries grows every year. Most of those in need are children under the age of five or the elderly who are living on a fixed income. Remarkably, over 50% of the families who sought support from the Hilltop Village Food Pantry in 2013 were not receiving any form of pubic or government support, they simply ran short of making their ends meet a few months a year. Rose Gray has been the volunteer Food Pantry Director for over 11 years, “Many of the families we serve have jobs and don’t qualify for food stamps, yet they don’t make enough money to buy enough food. They just need a little extra help to get by.”
The Hilltop Neighborhood House Village Food Pantry is 1 of only 3 public community pantries in Valparaiso.
The pantry serves 400 area families every month. And in certain months such as November and December that need jumps to over 1,000 families. Families are allowed to visit the Pantry twice a month and what is available to them depends on what has been donated.
The Hilltop Neighborhood House Village Food Pantry is staffed 100% by volunteers and Valparaiso University Work Study Students. They are open 3 mornings every week, Tuesday through Thursday, 9 am to 11:30 am. The pantry is located in the parking lot behind the Union Community Church at the corner of Monroe and College (driveway on Brown Street).
Currently the pantry is seeking donations of dry cereal, peanut butter, jelly, macaroni and cheese spaghetti, canned fruit, soup, bottles of juice, turkeys, hams, dry rice and toilet paper.
If you or your organization is interested in making a donation or running a food drive please call 219-477-4222.