DONATE
Fresh food at an Indiana food pantry.
File Photo: Jill Sheridan / WFYIA new cooler packed with fresh food is open for residents on Indianapolis's far east side. The fourth and final Crisis Cooler opened at Pathways Resource Center this week, ahead of the holidays.
The refrigerators are stocked with fresh meat, dairy and produce, and are free to residents who register.
Pathways CEO La Keisha Jackson said the area has long struggled with issues of food insecurity and food deserts. Jackson, also a state senator, said these kinds of grassroots programs can help fill food gaps.
"There are ways, between a farmer’s market, between initiatives, between those who do food pantries, between the agencies and food banks, to close those food disparity gaps," Jackson said.
Pathways also has a food pantry inside the center that has been providing assistance since the pandemic.
The Community Alliance of the Far Eastside, or CAFE, partnered with nonprofit Hatch and Gleaners to provide the Crisis Cooler.
In a statement, CAFE CEO Kendra Nowell said the cooler has multiple benefits.
"By providing immediate access to fresh, nutritious food, we're not only addressing hunger but also nurturing the health and well-being of our community," Nowell said.
A Thanksgiving food giveaway was part of the opening celebration for the new cooler — 75 families received turkeys, bags of groceries and gift cards at the event.
Contact WFYI Managing City Editor Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org
Support WFYI. We can't do it without you.