On February 2, 2021, the first load of around 5 USDA combination (meat, produce, dairy) food boxes arrived in Muncie at Inside Out. Purdue Extension Community Wellness Coordinators Lindsey Cox (Delaware, Blackford counties) and Chelsie Jaramillo (Madison County) is partnering with the Society of St Andrew (Dawn Barnes and Ann Radtke) to receive USDA food boxes to distribute via service organizations in East Central Indiana. 54,054 pounds of food were distributed in 1,638 food boxes via local service organizations representing Delaware, Randolph, and Madison counties on February 2 alone. The two CWCs worked with SoSA during rounds 3 and 4 of the combination food boxes from September 29-December 31, 2020, distributing 12,278 food boxes (419,676 pounds of food!).
Twenty food boxes went from Inside Out’s Fresh Directions program to a local site in Muncie that serves hot meals and healthy snacks to students after school. That evening, February 2nd, each student’s household received a box of groceries with their meal. Inside Out provides nutritious meals and snacks to after-school services in the area. Inside Out serves as a delivery site for the USDA food boxes where other local service organizations pick their allotment up. In Anderson, Park’s Place Church is serving as the other semi-truck delivery site for USDA Food Boxes in ECI. Inside Out will also distribute 250 food boxes/week onsite when they distribute hot meals three times weekly to community members.