The Food Bank of Northern Indiana

Founded 1993 — first distribution that December, 6,800 pounds to 29 agencies

Founding: The Food Bank's own published history begins with a telling word: in May 1993 the Hunger Education Task Force of the United Religious Community of St. Joseph County took up "re-establishing" food banking in the region — an earlier food bank is implied by the organization's own verb, and that antecedent is not identified in the history it publishes, so the implication prints and the gap stands. In July 1993 an organizing committee seated the first board and created the North Central Indiana Food Bank, beginning as a Subsidiary Distribution Organization of Gleaners Food Bank of Indianapolis. Its first distribution came in December 1993: 6,800 pounds of food to 29 agencies.

Course: In February 1996 the Food Bank was certified in the America's Second Harvest network — the national federation now called Feeding America. In July 2000 it bought its warehouse at 702 South Chapin Street, 82,000 square feet. In 2006 it took its present name, the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, serving six counties. The scale series is the organization's own: 6,000,000 pounds through 185 agencies in 2012, by its newsletter; and in 2025 more than 11.2 million pounds — its published figure is 11,208,089 pounds — through 119 partner agencies. Marijo Martinec, who joined in 2010, was named executive director and chief executive in September 2018. Beside the Food Bank stands the younger food charity of the next generation, Cultivate Food Rescue, whose record follows in this account; the Food Bank is the warehouse and the network, Cultivate the rescue kitchen, and the two records are separate.

Sources:

1. Food Bank of Northern Indiana (feedindiana.org), published history — the May 1993 task force and "reestablishing"; the July 1993 board and the North Central Indiana Food Bank; the Gleaners subsidiary relation; the December 1993 first distribution of 6,800 pounds to 29 agencies; the February 1996 certification; the July 2000 Chapin Street purchase; the 2006 renaming; the six counties.
2. Food Bank of Northern Indiana, newsletter and published figures — 6,000,000 pounds through 185 agencies in 2012; 11,208,089 pounds through 119 partner agencies in 2025.
3. Food Bank of Northern Indiana, announcements, September 2018 — Marijo Martinec named executive director and chief executive.