Hendricks County food-pantry coalition marks 20 years as 2025 visits top 37,000 and reserves near exhaustion

The Hendricks County Food Pantry Coalition is commemorating 20 years since a 2006 Leadership Hendricks County capstone project helped launch a more coordinated approach to addressing food insecurity across the county. Organizers and volunteers credited the original Leadership Hendricks County group and subsequent volunteer leaders with sustaining collaboration among local pantries.

The coalition now connects 18 independent pantries that meet monthly with a board of directors and staff from local organizations, including Family Promise, the article reported. That structure allows individual pantries to retain operational autonomy while taking advantage of shared purchasing and distribution that can reduce waste and stretch donations further.

Monetary donations are especially important because they let pantries buy in bulk and access discounted pricing, the article said. A photograph published with the report showed pallets of canned goods purchased by Shared Blessings Food Pantry in Danville as an example of coordinated bulk ordering.

Demand has risen sharply: Hendricks County residents visited food pantries over 37,000 times in 2025, an increase of 9% from 2024, according to the article. Coalition leaders said current need has surpassed levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, attributing that growth to higher housing costs and cuts to benefits such as SNAP and WIC.

Shared Blessings in Danville reported heavy recent traffic: the pantry served 1,002 families during nine open sessions in July 2026, and the pantry recorded 66 new families in July 2026 and 75 new families in August 2026, the article said. Separate nonprofit information linked in the story lists Shared Blessings' regular hours as Tuesdays from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon, operating as a drive-through distribution.

Coalition leaders also highlighted the local fundraising and event support that help sustain operations. The group uses space at the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds for some activities and holds fundraising events such as the Chopped Challenge. The coalition operates as a 501(c)(3) under the care of the Hendricks County Community Foundation (HCCF).

Financially, the coalition has shifted funding sources as temporary federal relief ended: the article states that American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds have run out and the coalition is drawing on the Libby Hammond fund and HCCF's general fund. The report warns the Hammond fund is expected to be depleted in 2027, presenting a near-term funding cliff.

Leaders offered concrete ways to help: monetary donations can be mailed to 6319 E. US Hwy 36, Suite 211, Avon, IN 46123, and volunteers or donors can contact individual pantries, HCCF, or the Hendricks County Food Pantry Coalition via Facebook. Coalition organizers emphasized the intense pressure pantry directors face managing operations and fundraising while responding to unpredictable demand.

BusinessIndy examines this development and its implications for Indiana businesses and communities using the linked sources.