Latest news with #FoodFindersFoodBank
USA Today
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Caterpillar Inc. celebrates 100 years with traveling exhibit and $54,000 donation
Trailers and tents sprinkled throughout the Caterpillar Lafayette Engine Center in Indiana offered its workers a break from the summer heat alongside a celebratory lunch — while offering a glimpse of the company's past and future. Caterpillar Inc., an iconic Fortune 500 company with a storied history in the construction industry, celebrated its official centennial anniversary on April 15, but in a celebration spanning the entire year, Caterpillar spokesperson Lisa Miller said the company developed four trailers to be deployed to Caterpillar facilities around the world as an interactive exhibit for employees. One of those traveling exhibits made a stop to the Lafayette facility last week. Miller said that in brainstorming before the company's 100th birthday, Caterpillar wanted to find a way to showcase its history to employees. "A lot of the time when you work in a facility like this, you know what your facility does and you see your singular part within this big company," Miller said. "But this allows our employees to see the impact they're making on the company, and the company's impact it's making on the world." As part of each tour stop, Miller said Caterpillar is making a donation to an area nonprofit within each community. A $54,000 donation to Food Finders Food Bank was made in honor of Tuesday's stop in Lafayette. Caterpillar Inc., founded in 1925 through the merger of the Holt Manufacturing Co. and the C.L. Best Tractor Co., first came to Lafayette in 1982, Senior Vice President Bart Myers said. The Lafayette plant currently assembles diesel and natural gas engines, Miller said, producing specifically the 3500, 3600 and the C175 engine models. Myers said he joined the Lafayette Caterpillar facility in 1992 after graduating from Purdue University with a degree in mechanical engineering. Moving up and around in the company through various roles, Myers said he was able to return to the Lafayette plant in 2024. In case you missed it: Microsoft anniversary celebration interrupted by protesters Celebrating the centennial anniversary at the Lafayette plant, given the city's current bicentennial celebration, is exciting, Myers said, knowing the company's continued growth has been supported by the city. "For the local employees, it's a chance for us to reflect on 100 years of history," Myers said. "At Caterpillar, one of our goals is to build a better, more sustainable world. As our employees go through this traveling showcase, they get to see how our products are used today, how they were used tomorrow, and how we'll do that in the next 100 years." But for some employees like Stephen Bloch, a senior systems analyst for Caterpillar, seeing much of the history within the exhibit is like taking a walk down Memory Lane. Bloch's 57-year history with the company predates the Lafayette facility. When the Peoria, Illinois, plant announced in the late 1970s that a new facility would be built in Lafayette, Bloch said the company was looking for voluntary transfers to the Hoosier state. At the time, Bloch said he had a young family, and he'd never heard of "Lafayette," but he and his wife knew they wanted to raise their family in a smaller city. Standing in the parking lot of the Lafayette plant, Bloch pointed across the street, remembering the early days of when a horse farm stood where Target and Dutch Bros now do, or when Creasy Lane was a dirt road. Does he regret the choice to come to Lafayette back then? Absolutely not. "It's been a really good career. This job has taken me around the world, and I don't think I would have had those opportunities anywhere else," Bloch said. "I've helped support our facilities in Texas, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi ... I've got friends all over the world, and I owe that to Caterpillar." He's old enough to retire if he wanted to, Bloch said. But he simply loves what he does, and he loves working for Caterpillar. The loyalty to Caterpillar stems from when he was a young college student, Bloch said, recalling working nights at the Peoria plant so he could attend Bradley University during the day. That schedule worked fine for Bloch until he got word that he was being bumped up to work the day shift. For most people, that would be great news, but Bloch said that for him, it was the opposite. "So, I go and talk to my supervisor, who arranged for me to have a discussion with somebody else who I'd never met. I laid out my sob story, and he looks me in the face and says, 'I'm sorry, but I can't do anything. It's a union shop, and I have to follow the rules,'" Bloch recalled with emotion in his voice, taking a moment to gather himself. "That night, I got a phone call that there is an opening in the second shift, asking if I would be interested. Somebody had to do something to make that happen behind the scenes," he said. "It's the culture of Caterpillar that allows for these things to happen." Walking through the trailer retrofitted with collages of current employees, pieces of American history are intertwined with Caterpillar's legacy, and what the future could look like within Caterpillar facilities. Bloch said he knows he won't be around for the company's next 100 years. But he's confident that Caterpillar is on the cutting edge of technology to help create a more sustainable world. Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Study shows an increase in child food insecurity in Cass County
Like nearly every county in in the United States, Cass County is affected by child food insecurity daily. According to a study released last week by Feeding America called Map the Meal Gap, about 1 in 6, or 18.1%, of children in Cass County are experiencing food insecurity. The numbers mirror Food Finders Food Bank's overall 16-county service area, which is about 1 in 5 children (20%). The service area includes Cass, Howard, Miami, Carroll, Fulton and Pulaski counties. 'Leveraging the data in this year's study will help us address challenges shared with us by people facing hunger and identify local ways to support our community,' said Kier Crites Muller, president/CEO of Food Finders. 'Hunger remains an urgent crisis throughout our 16-county service area. When we listen to our neighbors facing hunger and use the study's findings, we can unite to create a future where everyone, including children, can access the nutritious food they need to thrive. 'This mission becomes even more critical as threats to vital social safety net programs like SNAP, TEFAP, and Medicaid could worsen food insecurity for our most vulnerable populations, particularly children who rely on these essential services.' Map the Meal Gap, now in its 15th year, is the only study that provides local-level estimates of food insecurity and food costs for every county and congressional district. The study builds upon USDA's most recent national and state data report, which showed 47 million people, including 14 million children, experienced food insecurity in 2023, the highest rate in over a decade. Map the Meal Gap emphasizes the need for the public to join the movement to end hunger. 'Food Finders is thankful to our agency partners in Cass County for being an essential partner in the fight against hunger,' the press release said. 'Their determination and countless volunteer hours have a tangible impact on our communities.' Food Finders' partners in Cass County include: • Emmaus Mission Center ( 19 W. Richardville St., Logansport. Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mon., Wed., Fri.; 4 to 6 p.m. Wed. • Felix's Pantry, 410 W. Miami Ave., Logansport. Hours: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thurs. • Logansport Salvation Army ( 620 Wilkinson St., Logansport. Hours: 1 to 4 p.m. Tues. and Thurs. • Trinity Episcopal Church, 319 Seventh St., Logansport. Hours: 3 to 5:30 p.m. on second and fourth Wednesday of month, or call 574-753-2733 for appt. Other key findings of Map the Meal Gap include: • Overall, food insecurity rates increased in Cass County, with 15.8%, or 1 in 7 residents experiencing food insecurity. • Nationally, more than 2 out of 5 people facing hunger may not qualify for SNAP benefits due to income limits. In Cass County, 46% of people facing hunger may not qualify for SNAP. • Food Finders serves communities with food insecurity ranging from 13% in Clinton County to 16.7% in Miami County. • Food insecurity also varies for different age groups. Among children, food insecurity in Food Finders 16-county service area ranges from 14.2% in Clinton County to 23.4% in Howard County. • In Food Finders' 16-county service area, available data by race/ethnicity shows that 14% of white individuals, 33% of Black individuals, and 24% of Latino individuals experienced food insecurity in 2023. Map the Meal Gap used publicly available data from USDA Economic Research Service, U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics to estimate local food insecurity at the county, congressional district and state levels. The study also estimates local meal costs and food budget shortfalls using food price data from NIQ, based on USDA's Thrifty Food Plan, and grocery sales tax data for every county and state in the country. To see more information and view the map, visit For more information about Food Finders Food Bank, visit
USA Today
28-01-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Projects to prep for chips maker SK hynix left in the air following federal grants halt
Projects to prep for chips maker SK hynix left in the air following federal grants halt WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A memo sent on Monday by the Office of Management and Budget, ordering a pause on federal funding while President Donald Trump's administration reviews what aid is consistent with new policies, has resulted in a pause to several large projects and programs around the Greater Lafayette area. One of the biggest projects halted, West Lafayette development director Jen Van Schuyver said, is upgrades to the city's northside regional lift station and force main upgrade on the north side of the city, necessary for the arrival of chip maker SK hynix. Those upgrades, Van Schuyver said, were made possible through a $2.1 million grant by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. During Tuesday's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, West Lafayette Mayor Erin Easter said several other programs and projects would be impacted by the federal pause. Those known at this time including AmericCorps, the Community Development Block Grant, a FEMA grant to remove exhaust carcinogens from the bays of fire stations 1 and 3, and the Safe Streets for All Community Transportation Safety Plan. "Those are the five we know of immediately that will be impacted by this pause on federal funding," Easter said. Van Schuyver said regardless if the federal funding needed for the upgrades ahead of SK hynix's arrival are ultimately pulled, they will still happen. But where that funding will come from is up in the air. "The city and our wastewater treatment plant will have to come up with a solution to fund the project in the event funding is nixed," Van Schuyver said. Cait Parker, director of external relations and events for Food Finders Food Bank, a non-profit organization dedicated to feeding those in need across 16 Indiana counties, said it was unclear as of Tuesday afternoon if federal funding the nonprofit receives would be in jeopardy. "While the impact of the federal grants pause remains unclear, Food Finders Food Bank will continue our core mission of providing food and life-stabilizing resources to our neighbors," Parker said. "We are carefully assessing the situation as we await further clarity." Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal and Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@
