It’s the busiest time of the year at the Hoosier Hills Foodbank. Volunteers are collecting and packing up food to feed Hoosiers in six southern and central Indiana counties.
About 16 percent or 1 in 6 Hoosiers in Brown Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange and Owen Counties is considered food insecure.
The Hoosier Hills Foodbank works to support agencies that prepare meals for the hungry or distribute groceries.
The busy season at the foodbank starts at the beginning of November and continues through the end of the year.
Julio Alonso, Hoosier Hills Foodbank executive director, says the foodbank has already distributed more food this year than in all of calendar year 2017.
“So it’s been a pretty big year for us going into this season," says Alonso.
Last week the foodbank distributed 100,000 pounds of food -- a 20 percent increase from last year.
"Fortunately it’s a time of year when a lot of people are thinking about others and are thinking about giving," says Alonso. "So we have a lot of ongoing food drives across the community."
Alonso says the foodbank’s goal is to get everyone supported for Thanksgiving and then continue that through Christmas.
Alonso says the foodbank has been able to keep pace with demand, but one item they can always use more of is canned goods.
