CORE Community Center just announced their recent grant approval for $70,000 from the Indiana Department of Health, and they have already gotten to work on putting that grant to use.
As a part of the initial grant ask, CORE requested funding to specifically address one of the core purposes of the grant: local food insecurity. After a conversation with Food Finders, it was decided that CORE would become a Backpack Program location for Clinton County. The Backpack Program is designed to meet the needs of hungry children at times when other resources are not available, especially on weekends. Each school’s administration selects eligible children, and then a backpack filled with six to eight pounds of nutritious, kid-friendly food is sent home with them each Friday. Volunteer Packing Partners fill the backpacks each week.
At CORE, the funding is available to fill up to 51 backpacks each week beginning in July 2023, providing meals to families throughout the community. In addition, the opportunity for an east side Mobile Food Bank is being explored as well as other long-term partnership opportunities.
“We couldn’t be more excited to continue to address evolving community needs. When we had to separate from the Summer Food Program, we were saddened to see that part of our services go. This is a much more manageable program for us to execute, and we know of many volunteers who look forward to making this possible,” shared Stephanie Cooper, Executive Director of CORE.
If you are interested in learning more about how you might qualify or know someone who would, please give us a call at CORE at 765.654.9622.