JCONLINE.COM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2020 3A INDIANA The Indianapolis City-County Coun- cil is still considering a Republican-led initiative to paint a the mu- ral in Fountain Square. However, on Monday night, the council postponed discussion on the mural. It will instead be discussed in committee on Wednesday night. The proposal mirrors a decision to paint Lives on Indiana Avenue. The idea for that mural passed the council in July with both Democrat- ic and Republican support.
Now, council Republicans Michael Dilk, Brian Mowery and Paul Annee propose the Department of Public Works paint the on Shelby Street around Cottage Avenue and Ol- ive Street, near the Indiana State Police Alliance. wanted to, as well, kind of with the same spirit as the Indiana Avenue situation, show public support for our law enforcement and police as really they have a tremendously cult said Annee, whose grandfa- ther is a former Indianapolis police chief. The resolution notes that four Indi- anapolis Metropolitan Police Depart- ment have been killed on duty since 2007, including Breann Leath. Call IndyStar reporter Amelia Pak- Harvey at 317-444-6175 or email her at Follow her on Twitter Indianapolis ponders the mural proposal Amelia Pak-Harvey Indianapolis Star USA TODAY NETWORK The results of two surveys conduct- ed by Indy Hunger Network in February and June reveal how the COVID-19 pandemic has hun- ger across Marion County. The report, published in late Octo- ber, found that, while and federal aid nearly doubled the number of meals being distributed to food-inse- cure Hoosiers, the need also doubled.
Between February and June, the to- tal number of meals provided by area and federal nutrition pro- grams rose from 11,850,916 to 22,587,724. Still, the proportion of Marion Coun- ty residents using food assistance rose from in February to in June, representing an additional 77,000 who turned to hunger relief organizations amid the pandemic. The meal gap the estimated amount of meals required to meet total need also doubled, from around 380,000 per month in February to around 740,000 in June. Kate Howe, executive director of In- dy Hunger Network, said to close the meal gap that existed before the pan- demic began plus the gap created by the pandemic, hunger relief organizations and federal aid programs would tively have to quadruple their pre-pan- demic output. was already so much need before the pandemic hit that we were not able to adequately she said, with all of the great that were Who is most affected? The study, commissioned by the In- dy Hunger Network, analyzed the re- sults of two food-assistance surveys, one from before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, to understand the level of additional assistance needed to meet all food need in Marion County.
The proportion of Marion County resi- dents in need of food assistance was used to estimate the number of meals missed. Here are a few key takeaways from the report: i Hoosiers of color are dispropor- tionately by food insecurity. Around of respondents in each survey indicated they were Black or Af- rican American, despite comprising of the overall population. i Federal nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assis- tance Program (SNAP) and its program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provided of those meals. SNAP alone provided of the additional meals.
i Over of the households de- scribing a food need during the Febru- ary survey reported winter as the sea- son in which they have the food they needed, compared with in spring, summer and fall. i Around a third of the households surveyed in June said at least one mem- ber of the household had lost their job or was working fewer hours. Approxi- mately of respondents to the June survey were receiving unemployment. The rise in the number of meals pro- vided by SNAP can be attributed to pro- visions made by the federal govern- ment to provide each household receiv- ing SNAP to receive their maxi- mum. Over 290,000 Hoosier households received SNAP in October, according to the Family and Social Services Administration, receiv- ing $120,214,753 in aid.
African American Hoosiers experi- ence a higher rate of hunger than the general population, Howe said, and families with children are heavily im- pacted. So, African American children are more likely to be by food in- security on top of other issues that dis- proportionately Black families, such as poverty and employment and education gaps. hunger people of all races and genders and she said, we really want to focus on the people who are the hardest impacted, the hardest hit by Indy Hunger has received funding from the Indiana Minority Health coali- tion to conduct another study in early 2021, Howe said, likely in February to take another measure of the meal gap. respond to need The results of the study showed the Central Indiana sector re- sponded in a way to meet the increase in demand. A handful of including Gleaners and Midwest food banks, CICOA, Second Helpings and the Patachou Foundation, provided 1,689,763 more meals in June than in February.
Gleaners saw the single biggest in- crease over all other includ- ed in the study, nearly doubling its out- put, according to data reported by Indy Hunger Network. Joe Slater, Gleaners chief operating and said before the pandemic made its way to Indiana, a day for the Gleaners food pan- try would serve 300-400 families. By the second week of the pandemic, 700. The next week, 1,000. At its peak, the pantry served 2,200 families in one day.
demand) got big he said, just kind of stayed Is the output sustainable? Yes and no, Slater said. Operationally, they know they can make it happen. got the and the volunteers and the out well enough to keep performing at this level. The biggest challenge moving for- ward is going to come on the supply front, Slater said. Gleaners spent the last of the CARES Act funding it was awarded by the city within the past month, and two programs that have been key to meeting the increased de- mand are set to end by the start of the new year.
The Farm to Families food box pro- gram provided about 500,000 pounds of food each week, he said, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture was also providing food through its trade mitiga- tion program, buying surplus food from farmers and sending it to food banks. we are really gonna strug- Slater said, how you almost a three-quarters-of-a-million-pound gap in To continue providing aid at this lev- el, Slater said Gleaners would need around $20 million a year twice the food current annual budget. The food bank has been working for years to build fundraising capacity and gradually increase its output. The goal before the pandemic hit, Slater said, was to reach 100 million pounds of food distributed annually.
Donors should realize that every lit- tle bit helps, Slater said. At Gleaners, $1 provides meals. A $5 donation could provide 25 meals for a family in need. helping, basically, take care of somebody for an entire he said, that kind of To make a donation or to learn more about volunteering, visit gleaners.org. You can reach IndyStar reporter Hol- ly Hays at 317-444-6156 or holly.
Follow her on Twitter: Volunteers Mike Kitz, left, and Steve Jenkins distribute food at Gleaners Food Bank, 3737 Waldemere Indianapolis, on Dec. 1. At Gleaners, a $5 donation could provide 25 meals for a family in need. MICHELLE STAR Meal gap report reveals big struggles Holly V. Hays Indianapolis Star USA TODAY NETWORK Homeless man arrested after 3 people stabbed in Indianapolis INDIANAPOLIS A homeless man has been arrested in connection with the stabbings of three people in Indian- apolis, police said.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Po- lice Department said 34-year-old Kyle Neely was taken into custody after re- turning to the scene of the stabbings on the near east side Monday, WISH-TV reported. Neely faces one count of aggravated battery and two counts of battery with a deadly weapon, online jail records said. The three people were found stabbed inside of an apartment, and they were listed in stable condition af- ter the stabbings, police said. A motive for the stabbings and Nee- connection to the victims were not immediately released. Crawfordsville standoff ends with shooting of suspect CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind.
Police in western Indiana shot a man who point- ed a gun at at the end of a lasting more than six hours, Indiana State Police said. The shooting occurred around 8:30 p.m. Monday at a home on Indiana 47 in Crawfordsville, about 45 miles miles northwest of Indianapolis, police said. The Montgomery County Department was called to a domestic battery report there around 2:15 p.m. Monday.
Upon arrival, a deputy was able to get a woman out of the home, police said. The man barricaded himself inside the home with a gun, and police called in a SWAT team. The man then several shots at When the man went to a window and pointed a gun at an shot him, police said. The man was airlifted to an Indian- apolis-area hospital. Police have not re- leased his name.
Mentoring organization launches virtual program LEXINGTON, Ky. A mentoring or- ganization in Lexington is launching a new virtual program for teens. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Blue- grass aims to use a virtual format to match volunteers with up to 50 youths in central Kentucky, organization Presi- dent Andrea Ooten told WKYT-TV. The online format may help with any time constraints because people can volunteer on the portal during any hour of the day, Ooten said. An informational session for those interested in becoming virtual mentors will be held Dec.
10. Volunteers typically want to impact the lives of children, but often their lives are impacted just as much or more, Ooten said. Chiropractor facing sex charges involving juvenile patients ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. A Ken- tucky chiropractor has been arrested on sex charges involving juvenile pa- tients, authorities said. Matthew J.
Colasanti, 32, who oper- ates Colasanti Chiropractic in Eliza- bethtown, was charged Monday with rape and sexu- al abuse, news outlets reported, citing police and court records. One juvenile told police Colasanti of- fered to give her a back adjustment on Nov. 25 and then raped her while she was lying face down on a table, an ar- rest citation said. Another girl said Colasanti touched her inappropriately while adjusting her back during visits from April through June, the arrest citation said. Elizabethtown Police Department spokesman John Thomas said police are not aware of other allegations.
Associated Press REGIONAL BRIEFS.
