Times are tough for 72-year-old Vietnam veteran John Nelson. He, like many other Wayne Township residents, has had trouble making ends meet since the federal government shutdown started on Oct. 1.
“Grocery prices are high, gas is high. We need all the help we can get,” he said.
Things got more difficult when the Trump administration stopped payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Two federal judges later ordered the administration to resume at least partial payment Oct. 31.
With SNAP gone, Nelson had to depend on food pantries for sustenance.
“You try to go to more than one food bank a month,” he said. “They got them all over the place, so you try to schedule your life trying to get to the food bank and trying to find your next meal.”
Local pantries, like the volunteer-run Billie’s Food Pantry, have seen a rise in demand that is getting harder to meet.
“We used to get 12 people to maybe 20, sometimes now we’re getting 40 to 50 people a month,” said Sandy Leeds, a Billie’s Food Pantry volunteer.
In order to help pantries like Billie’s meet the increased need, cash-strapped Wayne Township signed an $80,000 deal with Gleaners Food Bank to provide food for the township’s schools and food pantries.
The township, which has had to cut its budget to the bone and reduce services to save money due to state property tax changes, was able to free up the money by temporarily cutting its winter school clothing vouchers and leaving positions at the Trustee’s Office and Small Claims Court unfilled.
Wayne Township Trustee Jeb Bardon says the reduced SNAP funding is an emergency situation for township residents, so making the funds available was both the township’s responsibility and the right thing to do.
“This is happening because of the shenanigans at the federal level. The circumstances are totally out of people’s control,” Bardon said.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said the state would begin issuing partial SNAP payments Nov. 11, and the end of the federal shutdown is in sight, but Wayne Township’s investment in food security could help residents focus on other problems.
Wayne Township residents need help
For Bardon, the longest federal shutdown has also been the worst overall economic situation he’s seen for westside residents.
“We’ve had focused economic crises related to businesses, like a couple major layoffs and plant closings at Rolls-Royce, Allison Transmission, Chrysler and Carrier, but we have never, at least in my memory, had a food crisis related to the failure of the federal government to take care of people. That’s a new one,” he said.
In the last three years, the amount of utility and housing assistance issued by Wayne Township has more than tripled, mainly due to the high price of rent and electric bills.
Bardon worries that families could be skipping meals to pay their bills, a decision with potentially long-term consequences, like stunted growth, poor mental development and a reduced capacity for physical work.
Wayne Township, like all Indianapolis townships, has assistance programs that help pay for things like rent, utilities, food and clothing. In the last three years, the amount of aid for housing and utilities given out more than tripled from $289,000 to over a million dollars.
By August, Wayne Township gave out more money in shelter and utility assistance than it did all of 2024. Demand was so high, Bardon said the township had to tap into its rainy day fund to help more people.
“We pulled $575,000 of rainy day money to help shore up the fact that we had already spent our budget on assistance for utilities and rent,” he said.
Bardon said the township is prepared to dip into its rainy day fund again if the deal to open the government falls through.
Local food help
Wayne Township’s $80,000 is one of several efforts by local governments and other entities to provide food assistance during the government shutdown.
United Way of Central Indiana set up the Central Indiana Food Relief Fund, which was funded by a $500,000 donation from an anonymous donor. It also gave out $17.3 million in grants to 71 nonprofits throughout the region to help meet the basic needs of Hoosier families.
Indianapolis and several corporations donated $200,000 in emergency funding to Gleaners Food Bank Oct. 30 and will distribute food at various events throughout the city.
Where to find food pantries
To see a list of food pantries in Wayne Township, check out its dedicated website.
For more pantries throughout the city, check out EatHere Indy’s Food Asset Map.
To learn more about Wayne Township assistance programs or how to apply, head to its website or call 317-241-4191.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.
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