Faith, Hope, and Love Community Empowers Food-Insecure Neighbors Towards Self-Sufficiency Through Missional Pantry Training

Since 2006, Faith Hope and Love Community (FHL) has been teaching food pantries how to understand the deeper needs of the food insecure. The training includes, but is not limited to, pantry set up, securing licenses and food handling certificates, partnering with other community resources for referrals, aiding with volunteer recruitment and care, gathering data, and using food access management software.

“Since Faith Hope and Love Community is an organization with pantry network members we are in different communities, which give us a first-had look at our challenges in Indianapolis. These challenges include language barriers, transportation, disabilities, under or unemployment, education, chronic health challenges due to lack of nutrition, mental wellness, addictions, and lack of trained volunteers at area pantries,” said Merlin Gonzales, President of Faith Hope Love Community.

“With funding from the Equitable Food Access Initiative, FHL trained numerous food access organizations on best practices. This included data gathering, reporting and analysis for process improvement,” said Gonzalez. “We provided nutritious food deliveries (medically tailored groceries or MTG) to the food insecure. In addition, we referred to other community resources for both the pantries, their volunteers and the pantry guests that they serve.”

“To help measure impact, we have sent surveys and questionnaires to our volunteers and pantry guests,” said Gonzales. “Through this grant, FHL made connections with community partners in the area including Elephant Gardens, New Direction Church, From the Ground Up, and DIP-IN (Diabetes Impact Project). Through building partnerships, we are able to serve more people and inform them about being self-sustained and living a healthier lifestyle.”

FHL has continuously improved the SALTview food management software, launched the Indiana Food as Medicine Alliance and has expanded Latino-led food pantries. The organization is in conversation with WHMB TV40 to develop a TV show that will provide informational and educational materials to Central Indiana residents including food access and nutrition.

Faith Hope and Love Community is a grantee of the Equitable Food Access Initiative, a LISC Indianapolis program that implements evidence-based strategies with the goal of increasing equitable food access and food security efforts in Indianapolis.