Seven in 10 Hoosiers served by the network of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry say they skipped meals due to not having enough food. That’s according to their new survey.
Emily Weikert Bryant is the executive director of Feeding Indiana's Hungry. She said more than half of people served by the network of food banks were working in the past year.
“Most folks are working or trying to, but it's just a lack of resources," she said. "If you don't have money to buy the food you need at the grocery store. There's not a lot of other places to go.”
Some survey participants had to choose between paying for other necessities or food. At some point in the past year 68 percent of participants had to choose between paying for utilities or buying food. And 58 percent reported they had to choose between paying rent or buying groceries.
Nearly two-thirds of households in the survey said they don’t currently participate in the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Of those, 50 percent said they did not apply because they did not believe they were not eligible for benefits.
Weikert Bryant said one way to help reduce hunger in Indiana is to eliminate the asset limit eligibility for SNAP — something lawmakers are considering this session with Senate Bill 529.
Timoria is our labor and employment reporter. Contact her at tcunningham@wfyi.org .
