(Batesville, IN) – The Batesville Food Pantry is adjusting its Wednesday distribution hours.
Beginning in October, distribution of food, personal care and cleaning items will take place between Noon and 4 p.m. each Wednesday except for holiday or weather-related closings.
The pantry will be closed on November 27 and Christmas Day.
The Batesville Food Pantry serves people in the Batesville Community School Corporation within Franklin and Ripley counties who, for a variety of reasons, do not have the adequate income to provide food for their families.
Currently, the Batesville Food Pantry welcomes an average of 230 families monthly, which represents over 800 people each month who receive food from the pantry.
Nearly 40% of those people are infants and children; 8% are seniors, and 4% are veterans.
In recent years, the total number of people assisted each month has risen steadily. According to the most recent Map the Meal Gap results issued by Feeding America, Ripley and Franklin counties have about a 12% food insecurity rate (https://map.feedingamerica.org ), meaning these households have limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
Each November and December, the Batesville Food Pantry provides holiday boxes to each family in addition to their regular allotment of food. The items in the holiday box include traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas foods. The prices of food, operation costs of serving more families, and providing special items to make the upcoming holidays special for all pantry clients have steadily increased.
The Batesville Food Pantry is thanking the Ripley County Community Foundation and other agencies that fund the pantry’s ministry of providing food for neighbors.
Residents or businesses willing to make a financial gift before the end of the year are invited to send monetary donations to Batesville Food Pantry, P.O. Box 383, Batesville, IN 47006 or submit an electronic donation through www.batesvillefoodpantry.org using the “Donate” button.
Donations of non-perishable items can be dropped off in the collection boxes at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church or St. Louis Catholic Church any time or be brought directly to the food pantry by appointment.
The Batesville Food Pantry is a ministry of the Batesville Area Ministerial Association (BAMA) which is a fellowship of Christian churches serving the Batesville and Oldenburg communities, regardless of denomination.
BAMA financially supports the Batesville Food Pantry and provides volunteers who staff the weekly distributions, and provides emergency funds for local needs.
