Crystal Wiley, director of the Love Your Neighbor Center, shows the computer and resource room.
(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY BOB KELLY)
(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY BOB KELLY)
| By Bob Kelly Feature writer A food pantry to serve people facing food insecurity has blossomed recently in the former Saint Elizabeth Coleman Center on Churchman Avenue near Beech Grove. Now known as the Love Your Neighbor Center, the food pantry is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (Note: it will be closed Wednesday, July 4, and Saturday, July 6). The center also houses a shelter for men. The seeds for opening a pantry and providing a men’s shelter were planted several years ago when executives of the St. Vincent de Paul Society-Indianapolis (SVdP Indy) purchased the former Saint Elizabeth Coleman Center in May 2022. Its first resident moved into the shelter in July of 2023. One of the staples of this facility will be the food pantry. The building also includes a homeless shelter for adult males 18 years and older, SVdP Indy’s administrative branch and the Changing Lives Forever Program. SVdP Indy serves the most vulnerable in our community. It provides the most basic human needs: food, clothing, diapers, beds, and more. The Catholic nonprofit dedicates itself to providing people of all faiths with a pathway out of poverty – one rooted in love, support, and skills training to build a sustainable future. Crystal Wiley, the director of the Love Your Neighbor Center, told The Southsider Voice about the facility and its food pantry mission. “We want to be good neighbors as we move into this community and we want to feed our neighbors and make an impact, too.” She explained that SVdP Indy provides supportive housing, programming, and services to unsheltered individuals to assist with self-sufficiency, stability, sustainability, and success. The food pantry is one of those services. “We have 13-bedroom suites with full bathrooms, four designated areas equipped with TVs, arts/crafts, health and wellness, computers, and a resource area,” Wiley said to The Southsider Voice. The facility now serves as headquarters for its administration staff which moved to it in the fall of 2023. It moved from its previous headquarters at 3001 E. 30th Street and the food pantry followed in the summer of 2024. It will serve Southside residents whose zip codes are 46107 and 46203. Wiley estimates the food pantry will serve 150 neighbors a week and will need four to six volunteers a shift. The food pantry is funded by grants and private donors. One way the organization has used the additional space in its new digs compared to the former facility is by collaborating with individuals, leaders, staff, community partners, and residents to dedicate operations at a macro level to promote systemic change for social justice. In addition, SVdP Indy connects with community partners for growth opportunities and collaboration to broaden perspectives for continued development. “We are doing our best to make the most of it,” Wiley said. “We are all fortunate to be in the position to work at this wonderful place because it allows us to help others.” SVdP Indy originated in the 1940s; the parent organization was founded in Paris, France in 1833. It now is out to serve those many others through its food shelter on the Southside of Indianapolis. |  Two of the rooms in the center are equipped with TVs and games for the residents to enjoy.   The conference room is used for residents and administration meetings. Residents are given supportive housing, programming, and services to assist with self-sufficiency, stability, sustainability, and success. “We want to be good neighbors as we move into this community and we want to feed our neighbors and make an impact, too.” – Crystal Wiley, director of the Love Your Neighbor Center |
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