PANTRY PARTNER

The Interfaith Hunger Initiative Pantry Partner program was established in 2009 as a collaborative effort with Gleaners Food Bank to assist leading Indianapolis area pantries to provide enhanced services. There are more than one hundred food pantries in the Indianapolis area, but most are open very infrequently. 

The goal of the Pantry Partner program is to ensure timely access to food for hungry families, in quantities and in locations that will meet their needs without loss of work or extensive travel.  An equally important component is to provide participating pantries with sufficient resources to maintain food availability through expanded hours of operation.

Gleaners will continue to support all pantries.  The community is well served by having a variety of pantries, both small and large. It is not required (nor is it expected) that all or even most pantries become Pantry Partners.

The requirements to become a Pantry Partner are:

1. Be a documented 501(c)3 charity in good standing with Gleaners.
2. Be open to the public 12-18 hours per week, with some morning, afternoon, evening, and weekend hours.
3. Allow clients to select their food from what is available, rather than receiving a pre-selected bag of food items. This enhances client esteem and minimizes waste.
4. Be open to all eligible clients living within the pantry’s zip code or township of operation.
5. Provide clients information about other food assistance programs such as SNAP or CSFP.
6. Be registered to receive TEFAP commodities (USDA).

Advantages for pantries that elect to become a Pantry Partner are:

• IHI subsidizes food bank handling fees, reducing them to 5 cents per pound. 
• Gleaners commits to help resupply Pantry Partners to assure adequate food to meet expanding community need.
• IHI offers a grant program to assist current and potential Pantry Partners with needs such as a major capital purchase.  (Download grant guidelines—PDF.)
• IHI will be publicizing the need for community volunteers at Pantry Partners.
• Participation in sharing of experience and resources among Pantry Partner peers.

Pantries interested in considering becoming a Pantry Partner should contact the Charity Liaison at Gleaners Food Bank, 925-0191.

Our goal is to establish at least one Pantry Partner in each township in Marion County, and one in each surrounding county. We began 2009 with no IHI Pantry Partners. Currently there are two that fully meet the criteria and half a dozen more are in the process of becoming partners. (See map above, or printable PDF download.)

You can help change the system as well.  If you are interested in working at a food pantry, volunteers are needed to help pantries stay open more days or longer hours in order to be more accessible.  To learn more about being a vehicle of change, contact Dave Miner at interfaithhunger@gmail.com.