Mobile Food Pantry funded in Tipton County through 2018 - Kokomo Tribune

Mobile Food Pantry funded in Tipton County through 2018 - Kokomo Tribune

TIPTON – The Tipton County Foundation recently announced that over $20,000 was raised in a campaign to fund monthly visits from the Food Finders Mobile Food Pantry through 2018 – exceeding the campaign’s overall goal.

The Mobile Food Pantry, a Lafayette-based company, is one of Food Finders’ outreach methods, in which a truck loaded with around 5,000 pounds of food stops in a county and distributes it to anybody who falls within certain income requirements.

Those requirements can be found at their website: http://ift.tt/2kL8CuO.

Tipton County Foundation President Frank Giammarino said the pantry has provided food for an average of 150 Tipton County families per month with between 30 and 40 pounds of food, noting the numbers tend to fluctuate depending on the time the pantry visits and the weather conditions.

“It’s a huge need. The startling thing for me – just a middle class guy – is that 28 percent of the households in Tipton County do not have enough income to meet the normal expenses that you would have for a household,” said Giammarino.

“It’s just a shockingly high number of people who don’t have what it takes to meet family obligations,” he added later, noting the statistic represents the working poor in the county.

Taking advantage of the online initiative #GivingTuesday, a global goal to encourage philanthropy in communities worldwide, the Foundation was seeking in November to raise $18,000 to fund the pantry throughout the next year.

Lori Tragesser, community development officer for TCF, initiated the Mobile Pantry’s monthly visits for 2017 with the help of volunteers and social media.

“At the time, our goal was $550 per month to supplement what Food Finders had in their budget. When we were able to get a sponsor for every month, Food Finders was overwhelmed. They were not budgeted for monthly visits to Tipton County, so we went back to our donors and the foundation provided a grant to make up the difference for 2017,” said Tragesser in a statement released earlier in the year.

Two Foundation board members, Amber Rodibaugh and JoAnn McQuinn, suggested the mobile pantry be the focus of a #GivingTuesday campaign, according to a report from the Foundation.

Eighty-two donors contributed toward the campaign, with gifts ranging from $5 to $1,500.

Giammarino said the Foundation will maintain a continuous fund for the pantry, noting they plan to continue to fund the visits into 2019. Additionally, excess funds will also be donated to local food pantries.

Donations are accepted at the Foundation’s website, http://www.tiptoncf.org, and specific questions can be directed at Tragesser at lori@tiptoncf.org.

“We would like to involve everyone who would like to help with large or small amounts of money, and also volunteering to help with the promotional flyers and food distribution each month,” said Tragesser in a statement.

The next mobile food pantry visit will be January 11 at 3:30 pm at the Tipton County Fairgrounds, 1200 S. Main St. in Tipton.