Linda Merk picks a can of corn off the shelf at the Love Chapel food pantry in Columbus, Ind., Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Linda Merk picks a can of corn off the shelf at the Love Chapel food pantry in Columbus, Ind., Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Local food pantries and researchers say that the number of children in Bartholomew County and the surrounding area who are experiencing food insecurity which has increased in recent years is largely driven by inflation, the end of pandemic-era aid and what some local officials said might reflect growing inequality.

Love Chapel, 292 Center St., has seen demand for weekly care packages with food for elementary school children in Bartholomew County double since 2021, said Executive Director Kelly Daugherty.

The care packages, which are delivered to elementary school children every week based on teachers’ assessments of which students “they feel are going to be ask risk for nutrition over the weekend,” generally include crackers, fruit cups, pudding cups, power bars, among other ready-to-eat items that officials rotate through for variety. The children also get a jar of peanut butter every month.

In 2021, Love Chapel was preparing an average of 400 school care packages per week, Daugherty said. During the last week of school this year, Love Chapel prepared 810 school care packages.

“(Child food insecurity) is real,” Daugherty said. “I think that so many people don’t believe that it’s real in our community, and it truly is real.”

“Our school care packages that we do, that’s probably a pretty good measure of what we’ve been looking at,” Daughtery added.

At the same time, about 47% of Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. students — 5,452 students — received free or reduced-price lunch during the most recent school year, according to records with the Indiana Department of Education. That is up from 34% of students during the school year ending in 2006.

Half of Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. students — 467 students — received free or reduced-price lunch this past school year, also up from 34% during the 2005-2006 school year.

Additionally, 66% of students at Jennings County School Corp. received free or reduced-priced lunch this past school year, as well as nearly 52% of Seymour Community Schools students.

The figures from the Indiana Department of Education come from data reported to the state by Indiana schools, according to spokeswoman Molly Williams. Statewide, about 48% of students at schools that reported data to the Indiana Department of Education received free or reduced-price lunch this past school year.

Eligibility for free or reduced-priced lunch varies by income and household size. Children living in households with incomes less than 185% of federal poverty guidelines are generally eligible for reduced-priced meals, while children living in households with incomes less than 130% of federal poverty guidelines are generally eligible for free meals.

For a family of four, the annual income limit for reduced-price lunch is $57,720 for the upcoming school year and $40,560 for free school meals, according to the Indiana Department of Education and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

“In addition to serving meals during the school year, our food service department does an excellent job of providing meals during the summer to support our community and families,” said BCSC Communications Coordinator Josh Burnett.

The update from local officials comes as recently released data from Feeding America, the nation’s largest anti-hunger organization, suggests that food insecurity increased sharply in Bartholomew County and the surrounding area in 2022, with an additional 1,790 local children becoming food insecure.

In Bartholomew County, the child food insecurity rate rose from 10.3% in 2021 to 15% in 2022 — the highest rate since 2018 — according to data from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap 2024 report, which was released last month. In total, 2,950 children in the county experienced food insecurity in 2022, up from 2,030 in 2021.

Similar increases were reported in neighboring counties.

In Jackson County, the child food insecurity rate increased from 11.4% in 2021 to 16% in 2022, with an additional 400 children experiencing food insecurity, according to Feeding America. In Jennings County, the rate increased from 13.1% in 2021 to 19.5% in 2022.

Overall, an estimated total of 5,960 children in the three counties experienced food insecurity in 2022, up from 4,170 children the year before.

In Indiana, the child food insecurity rate increased from 12.9% in 2021 to 18.2% in 2022, according to Feeding America. The USDA has reported that 18.5% of children across the country may experience food insecurity.

“As pandemic programs ended and prices for household expenses (including food) rose, food insecurity levels have also risen,” according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap 2024 report. “…Food insecurity is a symptom of historical and structural oppression, not individual weakness. It does not exist in a vacuum: people who face challenges accessing enough food also face challenges affording adequate housing, healthcare, transportation and other basic needs.”

Food insecurity is described as a lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Experts say not having enough access to nutritious food can have developmental, behavioral and psychological impacts on children.

“During the first few years of life, a well-balanced diet is crucial to a child’s development,” according to New Jersey-based non-profit Move for Hunger. “Children without access to enough nutritious food during this period are likely to develop more slowly and have trouble learning. As these children progress through life, they become more prone to illness and tend to be hospitalized more frequently than children from food-secure homes.”

Daugherty said the data from Feeding America showing an increase in child food insecurity in the community did not surprise him and is “confirming what we’ve seen” at Love Chapel.

“I think Columbus is probably ahead of most communities. I’m not dogging Columbus,” Daughtery said. “We do have a lot of really good paying jobs, and a lot of nice places to live. We have a lot of folks that are very giving of their funds that they’ve gained through their years of employment. It’s a good town. But there’s this other side of the town that I don’t think people are really aware of. That (side) is what is growing. We’ve got more people falling into that category.”
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