Press Release: Lake County Grocery Program Assists Families in Need

June 2020

Geminus Community Partners Provides Groceries to Lake County Families in Need During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

MERRILLVILLE, IN – In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Geminus Community Partners is providing groceries to assist struggling families in Lake County. This effort is part of an Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) statewide initiative to allocate emergency COVID-19 funds to help families in need.

“Our agency understands the impact COVID-19 has had on many Indiana families. Providing this resource is one of our many efforts to prevent abuse and neglect by supporting Hoosiers when they need us most. DCS believes children thrive in safe, supportive communities, and we are happy to be a part of that supportive community,” says Ellis Dumas, regional manager for Lake County, Indiana Department of Child Services.

Grocery services occur through June 30 every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the front door of the Geminus building located at 8400 Louisiana Street in Merrillville, IN. Families enrolled in programs through the family services division of Geminus may qualify to receive delivery of their groceries to their front door. To qualify for free weekly groceries, families need to only need to sign up with Geminus Community Partners.

Community Partners, a family service program of Geminus, finds agencies, professionals, support groups, and assistance programs that keep families healthy, happy, and together. “As part of our mission to strengthen families and build healthy communities, we help qualifying families with the day to day struggles that many face, including providing groceries and assistance with utility bills,” said Nicholas Neal, director of program development at Geminus Corporation.

Community Partners teamed with Geminus Head Start and the foster care division of DCS to reach out to families currently enrolled in community-based programs who may be food-insecure. So far, the response has been overwhelming. “Thinking about how wonderful this is for our families, I have no words to express how much emotion this brings me,” says Tammy Downs, division manager of foster care for Indiana DCS.

For more information on Geminus Community Partners and assistance available for families in Northwest Indiana, please visit www.geminus.care.

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About Geminus Corporation

Geminus Corporation partners with community-based health care providers, social service organizations, and early childhood education programs to help increase Hoosiers' access to high-quality care. As Northern Indiana’s largest nonprofit administrative service organization, Geminus also provides support services for health care nonprofits and human service organizations. For more information, visit www.geminus.care.