Healthcare Foundation of La Porte "Meats" the Needs of local families

Mar 22, 2023

Press release by Healthcare Foundation of La Porte:

On Tuesday, April 25, 4,500 pounds of donated ground beef were delivered to 16 La Porte County food pantries and soup kitchens. The meat comes from a $10,000 grant, "Meat" the Need, that Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL) awarded to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry.

Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry encourages hunters and farmers to donate large game and livestock to one of 85 participating meat processors. Donations are processed, packaged and provided to area hunger relief agencies for distribution in the community. The $10,000 HFL grant covers the meat processing fees and transport to the area.

HFL was notified in mid-April that ground beef was available for distribution, and local partners jumped into action to make the delivery happen. Citizens Concerned for the Homeless (CCH) stepped up to coordinate the distribution plan, contacting La Porte County food pantries and soup kitchens to understand need and freezer storage space. Under the leadership of Executive Director Jim Musial, CCH's Operations Coordinator Tammy Rosebaum led the effort to create the distribution plan, and Interim Program Developer at Grace Learning Center Bill Fennell, with assistance from CCH team member Terry Ott, handled pickup and delivery.

On Tuesday, Fennell and Ott used CCH's refrigerated truck, funded by grants from HFL and Duneland Health Council in 2019, to pick up the 4,500 pounds of ground beef, packaged in 1-pound bags, and deliver it to 16 food pantries and soup kitchens in La Porte County.

"As we all know, the cost of food has increased. Add to that the ongoing supply chain issues, and what we see is that food pantries often struggle to get meat for the people they serve. We are proud to support the work that Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry does, and we’re so grateful to the team at Citizens Concerned for the Homeless for volunteering to make this tremendous delivery happen. Now the hard-working food pantries and soup kitchens in our community can continue to feed our neighbors," said Maria Fruth, Healthcare Foundation of La Porte President and CEO.

HFL awarded the $10,000 grant as part of its Healthy Living initiative. This is the first meat delivery expected from this grant, which addresses food insecurity in La Porte County.

April 2023 La Porte County "Meat" the Need Beef Recipients