What does hunger look like? It’s not always obvious. It could be your co-worker, a veteran living with disabilities, a single parent or couple struggling to make ends meet, the elderly widow down the street or a household overwhelmed by medical expenses.

You can help fill the gap in food accessibility when the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana is the beneficiary of proceeds from the Strack & Van Til’s Checkout Challenge Round Up in its Lake and Porter County stores. Funds collected from Strack & Van Til’s DeMotte and Rensselaer stores will benefit Good Samaritan, The Bridge, Sorrowful Mother and Good Neighbor food pantries in Jasper County. The Round Up runs from Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, through Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. Customers across the Region can round up their purchase to the nearest dollar when shopping at their local Strack & Van Til store with those extra funds donated to the organizations.

The demand for food assistance is at an all-time high. In Lake and Porter Counties in Indiana alone, an average of 60,000 people per month depend on nutritious meals provided by Food Bank of Northwest Indiana. Food Bank President and CEO Victor Garcia notes that they are on track to hit a record of distributing 10 million-11 million pounds of food this year.

“The last time we came even close to providing this much food was during COVID,” he explains. “Now, with changes to how federal nutrition programs run, more of the cost is being transferred to the state, and we don’t know what the fallout will be due to policy changes. In fact, if the federal government shutdown continues, there will be a disruption of United States Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to 600,000 people throughout Indiana.”

The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana has been leading hunger relief efforts and the fight against food insecurity in the Region since 1982 and distributes groceries annually to families, children, seniors and individuals in Lake and Porter Counties. Garcia says each month more than 2,000 senior citizens living at 130% of the poverty level or below receive nutritious meals from the food bank.

“No other organization in all of Indiana serves this many seniors on that USDA program,” Garcia adds. “We also do special distributions for veterans, and, with the end of the year coming, we’ll be providing holiday meals.

“The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana responds to what the community needs in any given moment. We leverage resources like food donations and salvage food from retailers, wholesalers and farmers that would otherwise go to waste.”

Garcia says that the Strack & Van Til Checkout Challenge Round Up makes quite an impact on the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana’s mission of providing food for those in need, raising from $100,000 to $250,000 per year.

“We at Food Bank of Northwest Indiana are so honored that Strack & Van Til and their customers continue to support this program,” says Garcia. “We wouldn’t be as successful if customers didn’t round up. It’s amazing how a nickel, dime or quarter can create change in a community.”

Jim Kidd, founder/director at The Bridge Food Pantry in Rensselaer, says it serves about 300-400 people per month and that proceeds from the Strack & Van Til Jasper County Round Up will help purchase canned food for recipients. “It has been such a blessing for people to receive this food and help fill the need. We are blessed to benefit from the Checkout Challenge Round Up.”

Each month, Good Samaritan Food Pantry, also in Rensselaer, serves more than 225 families, or approximately 650 people, including 300 children. These numbers are staggering as compared to 2024, when it served an average of 135 families a month. With continued inflation and potential suspension of SNAP benefits, the organization expects the number of families to continue to increase, especially through the winter months.

“All proceeds collected will be used to purchase food to provide groceries for area families,” says President Jeremy Crews. “Good Samaritan Food Pantry could not operate without the generosity of our community. We are so thankful to Strack & Van Til Round Up for allowing us to be a benefiting organization. Every dollar received makes a direct impact on our community. Thank you for helping us so that we can help our neighbors in need.”

Strack & Van Til continues its more than 96-year tradition of philanthropy by raising funds through the Checkout Challenge Round Up program to help organizations in the communities it serves throughout Northwest Indiana.

President Jeff Strack credits customer generosity and employee commitment for the success of the Checkout Challenge Round Ups.

“Giving back to the communities we serve is just naturally a part of Strack & Van Til’s culture. We are incredibly grateful to our customers who contribute to these Round Up campaigns and make a difference in the lives of so many people,” Strack says. “Our customers are the best. They are the ones who give back to the community. Our stores, with the help of our employees, simply provide our customers with an outlet to donate to some of their favorite local organizations.”

Take part in Strack & Van Til’s current Checkout Challenge Round Up and support the area food providers. To donate to or to volunteer with the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, visit foodbanknwi.org. Information on Good Samaritan Food Pantry can be found at gsfprensselaer.org and details on The Bridge Food Pantry are at thebridgefoodpantry.com. For more on Sorrowful Mother Food Pantry, visit sorrowfulmotherwheatfield.org/food-pantry and find out about Good Neighbor Food Pantry at facebook.com/groups/469843773622402/.

To learn more about Strack & Van Til’s community involvement, visit strackandvantil.com/community.