GARY | Stretching a food budget can be a challenge as people in Lake and Porter counties face unemployment and other economic problems.

The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana recently opened the Community Cupboard at its Gary headquarters to help people of various income levels save money on food and obtain basic staples.

Funding to start the store came from a pilot grant awarded by the Lake Area United Way, said Angie Williams, the bank's executive director.

Customers include those who receive food stamps, and those in middle-income categories who want to save on food costs or need help to make ends meet, Williams said.

Although Food Bank of Northwest Indiana provides supplies to food pantries in Lake and Porter counties, Williams said the board of directors realized those pantries aren't open five days a week. Gary residents especially don't have as much access to food pantries. In addition, those who are employed can't get to a food pantry during work hours.

The Community Cupboard at 2248 W. 35th Ave. is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"We're looking at opening on Saturday if we can get people to volunteer," she said.

"The Community Cupboard is a hybrid, a nonprofit grocery store with below retail costs," Williams said. "There's not the variety you'll find in a retail grocery store. We have one brand of corn, for example."

Shelf-stable food items include canned vegetables and packaged foods such as instant mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. Cleaning supplies and personal care products also line the shelves.

"You can't use food stamps on items such as cleaning supplies," Williams said. "We're busier the last two weeks of the month, when typically food stamps start running out."

Bread and dairy products are free for every customer, and other items, including lip balm and candy during the holidays, also are provided for free.

"You won't find a frozen food aisle here, but we carry basic staples," Williams said. What makes the Community Cupboard different than a food pantry is that customers can buy food and other items.

"We assist middle-class families who feel left out of other programs," she said.

In addition, anyone who is a resident of Lake or Porter counties and has valid photo identification can obtain an emergency $35 voucher once a month to shop at the Community Cupboard. After registering, the customer is provided with a list of items with prices and a grocery cart. All the items have bar codes that are scanned at the checkout.

"They can spend their $35 on anything in the store," Williams said. "Sometimes I see people leaving with six to eight bags of groceries for that $35."

Williams stressed that the Food Bank is not selling donated food. Any money made by the Community Cupboard goes back into the store to buy more food and supplies for the shelves, she said.

Currently, about 100 families visit the store each week, she said.

Portia Stuckey, of Portage, is a foster parent and has a household of seven people.

"This is a real help to us. The kids love the milk and the soup," Stuckey said Tuesday during a shopping trip to the Community Cupboard.

Another program designed to help feed children is the Food Bank's Back Pack Program, which started four years ago. It's part of the national Feeding America program and is tied into schools' free and reduced-price lunch program, Williams said.

During the school year, volunteers box the meals, and Food Bank staffers deliver the boxes to schools. On Fridays, school personnel pack six meals and two snacks into each student's backpack for the weekend.

These kid-friendly meals can be made without the assistance of an adult, Williams said, because many of families in the program are single-parent households.

"We found many students come to school on Monday and they're hungry," she said. "We have 221 kids on the program this school year and work with 10 public schools in Gary and Hammond."

The Food Bank also provides food for one after-school program and for toddlers in a program at a community center.

COMMUNITY CUPBOARD IS OPEN

The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana maintains a Community Cupboard store at its headquarters, 2248 W. 35th Ave. in Gary, where customers can shop for basic staples.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information, call (219) 980-1777 or log on to http://www.foodbanknwi.org.