The Don & Karen Lake Buttrey Northside Food Pantry
Caring for those experiencing hardship and food insecurity in Washington Township.
HUNGER
As Christians, we welcome all to the table. Yet, we know that some of our friends and neighbors may be facing food insecurity as they try to provide for their families. We invite you to explore the many ways Second is addressing the issue of hunger in our neighborhood, city, and world.
Food not only helps alleviate hunger, it's a ministry that conveys the love and care we have for our neighbors in need. With rising food costs, and more and more families seeking food from our food pantry, your help is needed.
Please support the 2025 Hunger Campaign, which benefits our food pantry, and also provides community meals, gift cards, snacks, and summer lunches for our Washington Township children in need. Click the GIVE button below and select "Hunger Appeal" from the dropdown menu.
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Need Help?
Whether you’re facing tough times or just need a little extra support, The Don & Karen Lake Buttrey Northside Food Pantry is here to help. We are open three days a week and ready to serve our Washington Township neighbors. Find us at the northeast corner of Second Presbyterian Church.
Please note the Food Pantry will be closed the following dates in 2025:
May 24, July 5, August 30, November 26, November 29, and December 13, 23, 24, 27, 31.The Don & Karen Lake Buttrey
Northside Food Pantry HoursTuesdays 12:30 - 3* PM Wednesdays 4 - 6:30* PM Saturdays 10 AM - 12* PM *To facilitate the best experience for our guests and respecting the time of our volunteers , the NFP will be limiting the number of families served each pantry shift to 75. This means the doors to the pantry may be closed before the posted closing time. Doors open 30 minutes prior to above times. Serving residents of Washington Township and these zip codes: 46205, 46208, 46220, 46226, 46228, 46240, 46250, 46260, 46268, 46280. Please bring proof of residency such as a current bill or piece of mail with your name and address. Our Location
7700 N. Meridian StreetIndianapolis, IN 46260 Contact Us
317-253-6461, ext. 311The Don & Karen Lake Buttrey Northside Food Pantry was recently spotlighted in the Corteva Agri Science's Harvest for Hunger Garden's June Newsletter. Click here to read the article.
Why Volunteer?
- Give back to the community.
- Meet new people.
- See joy on the faces of others.
- When you help others, it makes you feel good.
- Fellowship
- Gain confidence and important interpersonal skills.
- Make a difference.
It takes roughly 80 volunteers a week to run our pantry.
For more information, please contact Karen Johnson.
Make a Donation
Northside Food Pantry sources most of its food through Gleaners. If you would like to help keep the pantry shelves stocked, you can donate online and select "Northside Food Pantry" in the drop-down menu.
Community Garden
The three-quarter acre plot south of the church provides fresh vegetables to the Northside Food Pantry. Dedicated volunteers tend the garden, which is not only productive, but also beautiful, featuring flower beds, a seating area, and a prayer garden.
Contact:
Jeff Reese
Garden Manager
reesejs19@gmail.comWashington Township School Foundation
Northside works collaboratively with Women@Second and other friends of partner schools to provide volunteer support for classrooms and school events, snacks for after-school tutoring, teacher appreciation events, and the donation of school supplies and other specialty requested items.
Contact:
Kate Booker
KBooker@SecondChurch.orgUtility and Rent Assistance
The Utility and Rent Assistance Program (URAP) partners with the Washington Township Trustee's office and families in Washington Township to offer emergency assistance. In these “gap” situations, a little assistance goes a long way, often preventing a family from losing their housing or having their power shut off. Our partners provide vital case management with URAP families to ensure long term stability.
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Community Garden
Help our garden grow!Volunteer hours are:
- Saturday, 9 AM to Noon
- Tuesday, 9 AM to Noon
- Wednesday, 1 – 4 PM and 5 – 7 PM
Let's grow together! Volunteers are welcome to come help plant, weed, and care for our garden.
Volunteer hours are:
- Saturday, 9 AM to Noon
- Tuesday, 9 AM to Noon
- Wednesday, 1 – 4 PM and 5 – 7 PM
No experience required! The garden team will be on hand to coach volunteers in a variety of tasks including picking beans, cleaning produce, bundling food, assembling soup kits, and more. Some jobs (but not all) require bending over or getting down on the ground.
Last year the garden team harvested two tons of produce! This fresh food goes on the shelves of the Northside Food Pantry, where it is distributed to local families.
If you would like to help in the garden, please contact Peg Miller at sec2garden7700@yahoo.com and ask to receive email "Garden Updates."
Umoja is a partnership of many faiths, from different cultures, on two different continents, united in our service to change lives by keeping children in school. We believe that education is the key to a better future for orphaned and vulnerable children in the Chulaimbo, Kenya community.
The Umoja Partnership provides programs and services designed to keep orphaned and vulnerable children in school. We partner with primary and secondary schools to identify vulnerable children to address their individual needs.
Programs include: School tuition and uniforms, school lunch through our food security program, weekend and evening food support for child-headed households, mentoring and empowerment programs to provide a social and emotional support system, and basic needs such as blankets, solar lamps, feminine hygiene products and home construction.
Second Presbyterian Church Mission team and Umoja Partnership are partnering together to raise funds to add another primary partner school in Kenya in January 2025. We need your help.
- $10 provides a school uniform to a student in need.
- $10 donation provides a female student with sanitary towels for a year.
- $25 provides empowerment programming for one child for a year.
- $50 donation provides school lunch for a primary school student for a year.
- $280 donation provides school uniforms for an entire school for a year.
- $425 donation provides solar lamps for students.
- $1,000 donation will educate a student for secondary school.
- $2,500 donation will provide a student with tuition for post-secondary school.
Can you help us continue to transform communities one child at a time?
To learn more about Umoja Partnership, please visit: UmojaPartnership.org.
Are you interested in traveling to Kenya with a group from Second Presbyterian Church? Reach out to us at Up@UmojaPartnership.org
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Advocacy: Speak Out for Others
Add your voice to Second's work addressing both hunger and housing issues right here in our community and across the country.“Finding Your Voice in the Dark” — to advocate for those who are hungry. Help us as we join with Bread for the World and other churches, community organizations, and people of faith from across the country to write letters and emails to members of Congress who have the power to impact the policies and programs that can end hunger.
By taking part in Bread for the World’s 2025 Offering of Letters, you will help support nutrition programs that offer a hand up to families and a brighter future for children. Your letter matters. Combined with others from Second Church—and joined with the voices of thousands of advocates across the country—your letter or email is an expression of faith and hope, urging U.S. decision makers to pursue a world without hunger.
Please take a few minutes to write your members of Congress. Urge them to help families and children experiencing hunger and poverty—no matter where they live. Not sure who your representative is? Find out here.
Sample letters can be found to print or send by email at bread.org/offering-letters.
Did you know?
- Hunger is a real problem in our neighborhood — 1 in 7 families struggle with food insecurity.
- 1 in 6 children in Indiana are food insecure.
- 41% of families living in the Crooked Creek Neighborhood are employed and living in poverty.
- 23.9% of children under 18 in Marion County are food insecure. However, 27% of those children are likely ineligible for federal nutrition programs due to income limits.
- The Government provides SNAP and WIC benefits. However, 49% of food insecure people are likely ineligible for SNAP benefits due to income limits.
- An individual must earn more than $21 per hour in Indiana to provide for a family, yet, the state minimum wage is $7.25 which hasn’t changed since 2009.
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Northside Mission Ministry
Home Deliveries
