MUNCIE, Ind. - Local organizations are preparing for the anticipated increase in need. Leigh Edwards is the Vice President of Community Engagement at the Muncie Mission. She says that rising food prices and shrinking food assistance are pushing local food pantries past their comfort zones.
“We’ve had to do our own shopping this year. We’re spending thousands and thousands of dollars that typically were being covered by individuals bringing in canned food,” Edwards said.
Over 6,900 households in Delaware County receive SNAP benefits, and the pressure is already visible. Families are lining up sooner than usual.
“We saw even in the last two weeks of our food pantry, people coming preemptively, because they're worried that they're not gonna have enough next month,” Edwards said.
Edwards says it’s not unemployment driving the demand, but inflation. Many of the people she sees work full-time.
“The vast majority of the people that come to us for help do have jobs, do work, but they're just trying to get by,” Edwards said.
Muncie Mission will still host their Thanksgiving tradition of serving hundreds of home-cooked meals across the city. They usually serve around 1,000 individuals and deliver meals to homes for people who are not available to come to them in person.
“Anyone that's struggling to get by is gonna hurt in this season. I think families, specifically when you're trying to feed multiple people on a very tight budget with costs the way that they are, it's really hard on our families,” Edwards said.
Even though the Trump administration is giving back half of the benefits, it won’t be enough to support SNAP recipients like Kierstin Wilson. In times like these, the sense of community is what matters most.
“Now is the best time to come together as neighbors and people who care about each other and want to see each other fed,” Wilson said.
Wilson says generosity, no matter how small, will help local families get through the holidays.
“Make the world that we do wanna live in, the communities that we do want to live in, be a part of,” Wilson said.
And Edwards agrees with just that.
“If everybody does their part, there will be enough,” Edwards said.
It’s the spirit of the holiday season to come together and give, but for some people in need, that spirit is necessary to stay alive.
Contact Daniel Huber with comments at daniel.huber@bsu.edu.
