New Albany Neighbor Network

06/02/2026

Last night, many members of our community used their voice to advocate for themselves and the people in our community who rely on the New Albany Public Library’s food pantry, the Community Corner, for access to food.

We asked the New Albany Public Library’s Board of Trustees to keep their food pantry open until an equal or greater resource is established.

Steve Burks motioned to temporarily suspend the phase out of the library’s food pantry with the proposal of establishing a committee/coalition (to include several members of their Board, trusted community organizations, and community members) to work together on creating a more sustainable resource!

This motion passed unanimously 🎉

Although this is not the outcome many members of our community were hoping for, we appreciate the Board of Trustees for being willing to work with the community for the benefit of the community.

We hope that our neighbors will continue to show up and work together to make food more accessible in New Albany ❤️

06/01/2026

When we gathered as a community, these seats were empty!

Tonight, we have the opportunity to address the library’s Board members directly and make our voices heard.

Join us in solidarity at the New Albany Public Library at 5:30 PM to make yourself heard at their public board meeting!

We will ask the Board to keep the library’s food pantry open until an equal or greater resource is available and to publicly support the development of a homeless shelter in New Albany.

See you there, neighbor ❤️

P.S. Sign this petition: https://c.org/7hRVqZV799

05/31/2026

If you live in New Albany, and you’re houseless or may be tomorrow: you cannot stay in New Albany.

New Albany Neighbor Network is working for that to change.

Please sign this petition to help our community secure support for our most vulnerable neighbors: https://c.org/5hMWKjRDTN

In the meantime, join us tomorrow at the New Albany Public Library at 5:30 PM to address Board Members regarding the closure of the library’s food pantry.

Stay safe, neighbors ❤️

05/29/2026

As we know this summer will have some hot days, we are partnering with area churches and organizations to offer a Community Cooling Station this summer. We have volunteer teams for each day. Each Thursday, we will announce the status of the cooling station for the upcoming week.

Next week, the cooling station will be closed each day. Please share to let people know, so they can find the status once we do open it on the hot summer days. If you have any questions, you can contact Dr. Danny Russell at our church.

05/29/2026

FREE VEGGIES! 🥗

🥕🌽 Veggie Rescue is Back for 2026! 🌽🥕

We are excited to kick off our first Veggie Rescue of the season TOMORROW!

AROUND 12:15 P.M. AT NEW ALBANY HIGH SCHOOL NEAR THE GREENHOUSE UNDER THE MAGNOLIA TREE 1020 VINCENNES ST

Since 2017, Veggie Rescue has connected fresh produce from local farmers and gardeners with families in our community. Thanks to our incredible volunteers, we gather produce at the farmers' market that would otherwise go unused and make it available to anyone who can use it.

Those of you who've been following us since the beginning may remember it was Kenny and Val Russell from Russell Veggies, and Axel Cooper from Lost Creek Acres, who supplied most of the produce at that time. Sadly, Kenny passed away in 2020. He is so missed. And I know he would be so proud of where Veggie Rescue is today! Both Val and Axel still support in various ways, and we are so thankful! Russell Veggies Lost Creek Acres

This year, because of the growing demand we've seen through our Pay-As-You-Can Farmstand, we're trying something a little different. While Veggie Rescue typically focuses on rescued produce, and we do not normally purchase food, we will also have 20 dozen eggs available when supplies allow.
Eggs will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. We will have some veggie plants as well!

A friendly reminder:
Veggie Rescue cannot begin until our dedicated volunteers have finished collecting produce from the farmers' market and returned to the distribution site. We appreciate your patience and are incredibly grateful for the volunteers who make this program possible every week. We never know what will be coming from the market. We will have greens and other produce from the greenhouse.

As always:
✅ No income requirements
✅ No paperwork
✅ Fresh food shared with dignity and respect

Thank you to our volunteers, local farmers, gardeners, and supporters who help make this work possible.

Growing Food. Growing Community. Rooted in Food Justice. 💚

05/26/2026

05/15/2026

SAVE THE DATE
Our next Pay-As-You-Can Farmstand is Monday, MAY 18
4:00–5:30 PM
NAHS Parking Lot near Vincennes Street, 1020 Vincennes Street

Fresh, local food available with dignity and no income questions asked. If you’re able to donate, wonderful. If not, that’s okay too. Everyone is welcome. 💚

To donate directly go to https://www.letuslearnkyinc.org/donate
Become a monthly donor to make even a bigger impact!

This week we expect to have:
🥚 Fresh eggs
🥬 Greens including collards, kale, and swiss chard
🥗 Salad mix
🌱 Limited amounts of turnips, radishes, and baby bok choy
✨ And more to come!

🥩 We are also offering locally raised ground beef from Summer Solstice Farms
• $10/lb
• USDA inspected
• Truly wonderful quality!

Ground beef must be preordered + prepaid before the farmstand. DM us to reserve yours!

05/13/2026

The Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana is aware of recent public comments made by Floyd County Library Board member Ann Carruthers regarding the closure of the Community Corner food pantry at the New Albany Central Library.

We appreciate that Ms. Carruthers recognized the importance of community partners in meeting critical needs. However, we want to gently clarify that the Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana has not committed to operating a food pantry, has not agreed to replace the Community Corner program, and has not been approached by the Floyd County Library Board to serve as a solution for the pantry’s closure.

Food insecurity, housing instability, and homelessness are deeply connected, and the possible loss of any community resource creates real concern for people already facing hardship. We understand why residents are worried, and we share the desire to make sure no one is left without support.

This situation also points to a much broader issue in our community: the growing need for more services, more coordinated support, and a year-round shelter for people experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

One organization, one church, one pantry, or one program cannot fill every gap. Our community needs a stronger safety net, built through collaboration, planning, and real investment.

The Coalition remains committed to collaboration and is willing to be part of thoughtful conversations about how our community responds to this need. At the same time, any transition plan must be based on clear communication, confirmed commitments, and the resources required to serve people well.

We encourage continued dialogue among the Floyd County Library Board, local government, faith communities, nonprofits, and community members so residents who rely on this pantry have accurate information and a path forward.

The Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana will continue focusing on its mission to address homelessness and housing instability while working alongside partners to strengthen the broader safety net for our neighbors.

WAVE 3 News Story: https://www.wave3.com/2026/05/13/southern-indiana-community-comes-together-push-back-closure-librarys-food-pantry/

Link to the Community Conversation: https://www.youtube.com/live/U5fi8GsdPV8?si=IrrcWPFoU4SY06xo

05/13/2026

We gathered with community members last night to address the closure of the food pantry hosted by our library here in New Albany. This food pantry served our neighbors and provided daily, essential support to our unhoused neighbors.

We asked, “Will the Board [members of the library] revisit conversations surrounding the food pantry after the response they have received from the community?”

The full Board was not present to answer this question.

New Albany Neighbor Network is dedicated to supporting ALL of our neighbors- including those who are without a house, but call New Albany their home.

We call for the City of New Albany to immediately begin planning development of a year-round facility to provide daily support and shelter for its unhoused residents.

We call for the Board of the library to immediately reopen the food pantry hosted by the library to continue service until there is a plan to serve those who relied on this resource.

New Albany Neighbor Network will attend the library’s public Board meeting on June 1st at 5:30 PM at the library. Additionally, we will be present at every community meeting to continue advocating for our most vulnerable neighbors.

If you are a nonprofit or social service organization in New Albany, please continue to include and invite New Albany Neighbor Network in conversations and plans to address the needs of our neighbors.