INDIANAPOLIS — According to the Indy Hunger Network, 242,000 people need food assistance in Marion County, and one central Indiana nonprofit is fighting back against those numbers.
The Jane Pauley Community Health Center offers health care to Hoosiers, regardless of the person's ability to pay.
JPCHC has 10 locations across central Indiana where organizers offer free food alongside primary, behavioral and dental health.
"We are now able to help everyone," said Nancy Curd, enabling services senior manager at JPCHC.
Curd said the 10th and newest food pantry opened at 21st Street and Shadeland Avenue. She said it's already one of the busiest centers.
"A lot of people put their health on the back burner," Curd said. "They are worried about their children or a sick parent or a family member or something along those lines. They put themselves last. This way, they are able to come, get the care that they need, and then they're also able to stop here and get nutritious food."
At each food pantry, clients have access to fresh produce, meats, dairy and pantry items.
"We have a nice variety because you might have a child who likes apples over bananas, or bananas over apples," Curd said. "That is something that we do think about when we purchase food."
Curd said each pantry is also stocked with culturally diverse foods. At the newest pantry, she said about 60% of the clients are Haitian.
JPCHC uses a Haitian-Creole community resource navigator to help choose foods that the community would enjoy.
"He knows what they want. He knows what they need and what they'll cook with," Curd said. "We don't want to send someone home with something that they're not going to eat because the person behind you might take that."
Curd said the pantry uses an organizational model that promotes nutritious foods.
"When someone walks into a pantry, the first thing they are going to see is obviously at eye-level," Curd said. "You want to make sure that is nutritious food."
JPCHC is also able to provide heavy-duty insulated bags to help clients get fresh, frozen and refrigerated foods home.
The main goal is to cut down on transportation concerns for Hoosiers by providing a one-stop shop to meet two basic needs: health care and hunger.
"It's a huge issue because it is so costly," Curd said. "The majority of our patients do use the bus line. Here at Jane Pauley, we make sure that we provide them with bus passes, and we are also looking to start a foundation to go ahead and also incorporate some other forms of transportation."
This mission is years in the making, so far serving nearly 6,000 Hoosiers in central Indiana.
"When we first started, we paid for everything ourselves," Curd said.
Now, thanks for a health challenges grant from the state, JPCHC is able to stock the shelves at all 10 pantries.
"We were approved for a second year for that, which is great," Curd said.
Additionally, JPCHC has contracts with several local food banks to help meet the demand.
"In the summer months, when it's warmer out and there's a harvest, we get fresh produce and fruits and vegetables from Indy Urban Acres," Curd said.
Plus, Curd said JPCHC employees make donations of their own to help support the mission.
"Our employees are in it as much as I am," Curd said.
Moving forward, Curd said JPCHC hopes to expand its reach into the community by partnering with local groups for food drives or volunteer opportunities.
"You may not be having a food insecurity, but your next-door neighbor might," Curd said. "It's not just about us. It's about the community."