Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Food Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves $70,000 CDBG award to Food Bank of Northwest Indiana for mobile market in Gary
Summary
The Board approved a $70,000 Community Development Block Grant subrecipient award to the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana to operate a Gary Mobile Market, funding two to three mobile distributions per month and an estimated 11,000–11,700 meals over 12 months.
The Board of Public Works and Safety approved a retroactive Community Development Block Grant subrecipient award of $70,000 to the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana to fund a Gary Mobile Market and food access program for 12 months. Victor Garcia, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, told the board the food bank serves Lake and Porter counties, moved roughly 11.44 million pounds of food last year and serves more than 750,000 residents across its service area.
Garcia said the $70,000 award is intended to reduce transportation barriers and improve access to nutritious food in Gary through two to three mobile distributions per month. He told the board that the funding would support distributions serving households (not just individuals), with each distribution capable of serving roughly 100 to 300–400 households depending on the event. The food bank’s eligibility criteria for distribution are self‑identification at or below 185% of the federal poverty level; distributions are first‑come, first‑served.
Garcia said volunteers are essential to operations and that the food bank relies on its volunteer platform for signups; he directed interested volunteers to foodbanknwi.org. The board voted 5-0 to approve the subrecipient agreement and noted that required documentation (SAM.gov, QC-12 and QC-40 forms) had been provided.
