Efforts to address food insecurity in Gary have gotten an $85,000 boost. The Gary Food Collective Co-op has gotten funding to expand the program across the city. Specifically, it plans to use the funding to train people to launch their own food co-ops, while providing residents with fresh, healthy and affordable food. The $85,000 comes from the Legacy Foundation's John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fund and the city of Gary's share of federal American Rescue Plan money.
The Gary Food Collective is led by the Family Life Community Center. Founder LaJuan Clemons says in a press release from the Legacy Foundation and the city that the initiative "is about more than just food; it’s about building a sustainable, self-reliant community that thrives together.”
The community center has helped feed nearly 8,000 people in the last three months. The co-op primarily gets its food from the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, but through a new partnership, it's also begun getting items from local Meijer and Target stores.
