By Kimani Krienke, The Times of Northwest Indiana
While many across the Region soaked in the sunny Saturday morning that kicked off the weekend before the hustle of Thanksgiving week, hundreds of cars lined up and down Broadway and 61st Avenue in Merrillville waited for the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana to open. People of all ages and walks of life were in line for Allen Law Group’s annual Thanksgiving Meal delivery.
Volunteers and staff at the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana coordinated the distribution of the meals. They served 800 families with meal kits, said Vice President of Operations and Community Impact Tricia Sheaks, for two hours Saturday morning at the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, 6490 Broadway, in Merrillville. Even though the event didn’t start till 9 a.m., Sheaks said that some cars began lining up as early as 4 or 5 a.m.
“Anybody that shows up can get service. We don’t turn anybody away. We don’t require any type of proof of residency, identity, anything like that,” she said. “We do not ask for anything, or anybody that shows up, we will service.”
The event with Allen Law Group is part of 13 distributions led by the food bank planned for the holiday season, Sheaks said. The food bank aims to distribute around 13,000 turkeys this season alone. The partnership with the firm is crucial, she said, as it helps feed families affected by delayed SNAP benefits.
“We would not be able to help as many neighbors as we can without them, so that would be 1,200 less of our neighbors that are going to be able to have a holiday meal,” Sheaks said.
The two organizations also distributed meals to families on Friday at Allen Law Group’s flagship location in Chesterton. Allen Law Group donated over a thousand Thanksgiving dinners to Northwest Indiana families across the two days, according to a press release.
The annual donation of Thanksgiving meals to those in need in Northwest Indiana began in 1994 for Injury Attorney Kenneth J. Allen and Allen Law Group. With distribution help from the food bank, the group gave meals to 1,200 families this year with “a whole turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables and a fruit or pumpkin pie,” according to the press release. Partnerships with other organizations, such as retail stores and farms, as well as grant funds, allowed for the inclusion of additional food, like canned goods, fruit, eggs and yogurt in the meal kits.
For Allen, helping those inside the courtroom is his job, but donating annually to help Region families in need of food is important to him. He stepped in at several moments during the event to say hello to people in their cars, sometimes having longer conversations with them, and helping volunteers load cars. Allen hopes to inspire others in the community to help those in need.
“I believe that God put us on the planet to help each other, and part of my job is to help people in the courtroom, but I think we got to help people in the community too,” Allen said “I think that’s really important. And I also think that it’s important to try to… inspire other lawyers and doctors to step forward. I learned here that a couple of others have done that this year, first time; I’ve been doing it 30 years. Took a while, but if we can get a trend going, I think it’d be really good.”
Sheaks noted the humbling aspect of the event. Allen said he believes the gesture of donating should be repeated, a sentiment shared by JD Jenkins, community impact coordinator of Mobile Distributions for the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana. Jenkins welcomed regulars as they drove or walked up to the beginning of the distribution line. He has seen some people every week for the past two years he’s been with the company.
“A lot of people seem like that they’re stepping up more, like they see the need, and so they feel like they got to do better. They have to do more,” Jenkins said. “The bad part is that I wish they could do it all year round and not just this time of year. The help is still there. It’s gonna be like this in January. It’s gonna be like this in March.”
Jenkins wants those visiting the food bank for help to feel welcome and safe, never embarrassed. The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana is home for him and the visitors are their neighbors.
“It is certainly heartbreaking in one way, and it’s heartwarming in another,” Allen said. “But the reality is, we all got to try do something because, I mean, I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Not the way it’s been the past few years, but the way it’s supposed to be.”
For more information about the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, visit www.foodbanknwi.org.