Many ways to help others in need any time of year
Photo courtesy of feedingteam.org
Volunteers set up a new yellow and red outdoor pantry from feedingteam.org at Harbour Shores Church in Cicero.
Photo courtesy of Humane Society for Hamilton County
Humane Society for Hamilton County, a no-kill pet shelter in Fishers, is in the midst of its annual Home for the Holidays campaign, featuring 12 animals — including an 8-year-old German Shepherd named Larry (pictured), who knows all of his commands — seeking forever homes, with adoption fees waived, at https://www.hamiltonhumane.com
The Times photo by Betsy Reason
Noblesville’s Nancy Chance (back), founder of Good Samaritan Network of Hamilton County, oversees about 60 Northview Church volunteers, who helped organize donations of food and clothing in past years in the Small Animal Barn at the county 4-H Fairgrounds for holiday distribution giveaways and more
The Times photo by Betsy Reason
Dee Ricciardi, general manager of operations at St. Vincent dePaul Society’s food pantry and thrift store, with the help of volunteer, Mike Kinghorn of Fishers, restocks the pantry shelves with apples, onions and potatoes. The adjacent resale store was rebranded as NobleCause in 2020 and uses money from the store to purchase food for families in need in Noblesville
While many of the food and clothing drives are now over because it’s almost Christmas, the need is still there for our communities.
More than 26,000 individuals in Hamilton County are food insecure, according to the Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank in Noblesville, with about 33,333 meals needed this holiday season.
So there are many reasons why it’s important for the community to donate throughout the year at the food bank as well as our local food pantries, to organize and participate in local food drives and to donate monetarily for these needs.
I share some of these places where you can help in our community:
-At St. Vincent dePaul Food Pantry on Greenfield Avenue in Noblesville, donations of clothing, furniture, toys and more are turned around and sold in the NobleCause Resale Shop, with the money used to purchase food for families in need in Noblesville. Donations are accepted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Food pantry clients, who show their St. Vincent dePaul card and ID, use a “drive-thru bagged food” procedure to pick up food 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Saturdays. Monetary donations are also accepted to help the food pantry. For more information, visit https://svdpnoblecause.com/
-Good Samaritan of Hamilton County is offering Christmas Eve meals for shut-ins with advance reservations. Donations are also taken for clothing, food, paper goods, emergency items and household items during drop-off donation hours from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, visit https://www.gsnlive.org/
-FeedingTeam.org, created by Mark and Lisa Hall of Noblesville, based on neighbors serving neighbors, has grown to 31 yellow and red outdoor food pantries throughout Hamilton County, including 17 Noblesville locations, for people who don’t have sufficient resources. The motto is “Take What You Need, Give What You Can.” The community is encouraged to donate nonperishable items to the pantries as well as take what they need from the pantries. For more information, visit https://feedingteam.org/
-Noblesville Township Trustee office on Division Street at Eighth Street, provides food bags 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays with various food items available to choose from Wednesday through Friday each week, according to the website.
-Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank collects food and keeps county food pantries stocked year-round. The food pantries give out food directly to people in need. At the Harvest Food Bank, food donation drop-off is 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays and 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thursdays at the food bank’s location next to and just south of White River Christian Church on North 10th Street in Noblesville. Folks can also donate monetarily online at https://www.hchfoodbank.org/
-Humane Society for Hamilton County, a no-kill pet shelter in Fishers, is in the midst of its annual Home for the Holidays campaign, featuring 12 animals — including an 8-year-old German Shepherd named Larry, who knows all of his commands — seeking forever homes, with adoption fees waived, at https://www.hamiltonhumane.com/. Donors can also sponsor the care of a shelter animal with a pawliday ornament. Purchase your gift in honor or memory of a loved one by Dec. 22. The shelter also offers 2022 calendars for $20 each and is also accepting monetary donations and also all kinds of items for its downloadable wish list.
-Tri Kappa Red Stocking Fund is an annual fund drive going on now through Dec. 31. Tri Kappa distributes 100 percent of the money donated to the school children of Noblesville through Noblesville Schools and Noblesville Township Trustee Office, which distributes the funds throughout the year to the school children of Noblesville. Money raised ensures the children of Noblesville have shoes, clothing, school supplies, and shelter as well as medicines and other necessities. In 2020, more than 100 students and their families were assisted. Donations may be made payable to Red Stocking Fund and mailed to Noblesville Red Stocking Fund, P.O. Box 162, Noblesville, IN 46061.
-White River Christian Church Food Pantry on North 10th Street accepts donations of food and non-food essentials and monetary donations. Drop off donations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to noon and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays. Households can shop at the pantry from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays.
For a complete list of food pantries in Hamilton County, visit https://www.gsnlive.org/food-pantries-directory
-Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com