1 in 4 Indiana kids hungry

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Belinda Green relies on Bethany House almost every day to feed her grandchildren.

She's been coming here for about eight years.

"Sometimes I do worry. I do worry that they're not going to eat. I do worry, it's bad," Green said.

Her grandchildren are among over 5,000 kids in Vigo County struggling with hunger.

A new report by Feeding America, a nonprofit organization for feeding the hungry, shows that one in four Hoosier kids don't know where their next meal will come from.

"Here where we're standing, we have two elementary schools, Ben Franklin and Deming, both have a student population excessive 92 percent that partial and reduced lunch programs for those two schools, and it may as well be 100 percent," Catholic Charities Executive Director John Etling said.

"When we come up here, we know about everybody and most of them are our neighbors with kids," Green said.

Catholic Charities and many local organizations participate in the summer meal program. They give 1,000 backpacks full of food to kids every week.

"Imagine sitting in the classroom as an eight, nine, ten year old and not really knowing for sure how your family's going to stay together through some of those rough times and struggles would create within you, I think, a great deal of stress and maybe even anxiety," Etling said.

It's a summer full of uncertainty.

"With help of the Bethany House, things are really looking up for me," Green said.

Many families just hoping it will get better.

Wednesday morning, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church partnered with the Salvation Army and Baesler's Market to give food to families in need.

If you need meal assistance, you can call (812) 235-3424 for a list of programs near you.