Over the past month, Marion County residents have come together to support residents experiencing food insecurity. People have donated money to food pantries, passed out turkeys and even biked around town to collect food donations.
Amanda Lockaby, a Camby resident, opened a pantry that’s outside the box — literally.
The pantry isn’t located in a church or a community center, but in Lockaby’s front yard in the Heartland Crossing neighborhood.
“Nobody was going to do this for us,” said Lockaby who began the pantry Monday, Nov. 3.
Lockaby knows how easily a person can go from food secure to relying on resources such as food pantries.
Six years ago, she quit her job in the flooring industry before she realized that a strict noncompete clause in her employee contract would prevent her from starting a new position. During this time, Lockaby said she relied on food pantries, and someone even sponsored her son’s Christmas.
“We all have a story, and so it’s important to be there and just try and give back what was given to me,” Lockaby said.
No questions, no judgment
Marion County has over 200 food pantries that serve roughly 125,000 residents, according to Indy Hunger Network, a local nonprofit that works to reduce hunger.
But many pantries come with limitations. Some require people to show proof of residency or register in advance; some locations don’t have enough food to support everyone in need.
Lockaby said the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Food Pantry offers food 24/7, including fresh produce and perishables such as milk, eggs and bread. Food is stored in coolers and people can come and go as they please, no questions asked.
The pantry doesn’t have a social media page, but Lockaby posts information about it in the Heartland Crossing Community Chat on Facebook.
Lockaby, who said she got the idea of a front yard food pantry from TikTok, also provides other donations such as adult diapers, breastfeeding supplies and more.
Lockaby said she serves about 50 people a week.
Alexis is one of those people. Mirror Indy agreed not to use her last name over concerns about privacy around her financial situation.
Roughly six months ago, she quit her full-time job in order to care for her two-year-old daughter and her 10-year-old daughter with disabilities. But the switch has been difficult for the family.
Alexis was one of the first people to use Lockaby’s pantry.
“You get to the point where you have to decide who is going to eat first, my kids or myself,” Alexis said. “Of course our kids always get fed first, but that’s a new stress we’ve never had to worry about before.”
Now Alexis helps Lockaby by organizing donations.
Sustaining the food pantry
Despite the successes of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Food Pantry, Lockaby has endured many challenges.
Lockaby said some of her food was wasted when her tote bags were left open and the food was ruined by rain and snow. Someone also stole two of her fabric coolers. She said the person left her nice fabric cooler, so she assumes that it was stolen by someone living in their car or experiencing homelessness.
She’s not upset, but it makes running the pantry harder, especially since Lockaby said she’s only received a handful of food donations.
Lockaby started the pantry by only accepting food donations, not money. But it’s caused her to funnel over $2,500 into the pantry in roughly three weeks just to keep up with the need.
Now she’s not sure how much longer she can sustain the pantry without more support.
“I’ve definitely hung on longer than I should,” Lockaby said. “But on the other hand, I was definitely at a place just here in the middle of the week, like I’m gonna have to make a choice, like I’m just gonna have to go to donations only, and what few donations I get, they can have, but it’s not going to be much.”
Lockaby plans to run the pantry at least through Christmas. During that time, she’ll also coordinate Pennies for Penny, a program that Lockaby created that allows people to sponsor holiday presents for low income children. So far, 42 families have signed up to receive help with Christmas gifts for over 100 children, but Lockaby only has about 15 sponsors.
Residents can donate money to @Alockaby17 on Venmo, or fill out an online form to sponsor a child’s Christmas dinner, presents or both.
People can drop off or pick up donations at 8446 Wanda Lake Drive. Residents must register online to receive food or gift donations for Christmas.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Elizabeth Gabriel covers the south side of Marion County. Contact her at elizabeth.gabriel@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X at @_elizabethgabs.
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