A Michiana Life in the Spotlight: Scott Griffey

Across the country, roughly one in seven households have faced food insecurity. That figure amounts to about 47.9 million Americans, according to hunger data from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). That data comes from 2024, and with food insecurity continuing to climb, the cost of living rising by the day, and working-class poverty and unemployment reaching new heights, one local organization is working to flatten the curve, one family, one meal, and one conversation at a time.

GymTown Pantry started with humble, ground-floor beginnings — literally. Scott Griffey, the organization’s director of operations, laid flooring for nearly 45 years before turning to nonprofit community service.

Griffey and his family, from the very beginning, packed the boxes and book bags, then went door-to-door in search of families and children in need of support. Griffey’s own experience with food insecurity offered a unique perspective. He understood his family’s plight, and that understanding, joined by the resounding needs of the community, propelled the organization forward, growing to serve larger areas, providing food, spreading awareness, and building community support for more families across Elkhart.

“We have a large family, seven children, and 23 grandchildren,” said Griffey. “There are times we were lean and there were times of plenty.”

Griffey reflected on those lean periods, and on how his friends and community offered support in their times of need.

“Friends would come by with food for us. A couple times in particular they would fill our living room with food. That was humbling, but very helpful,” said Griffey. “We always understood that concept: you can be a normal, everyday person and still need some help, based on your circumstances or situation in life. Everybody, from time to time, could use a little boost, and it’s always an encouragement and a help.”

Food insecurity is fueled by a number of external factors and is often a private struggle, affecting families to varying degrees. In greater Elkhart County, curbing food insecurity starts and ends with family, volunteers and community members rallying together for a common cause.

GymTown Pantry’s mission solidified in 2018, when family friends of Griffey’s, educators with the Jimtown school system, expressed concerns about students arriving back to school on Mondays hungry.

“We started off with six students. Us and four other couples took turns on the weekend buying food for those six students, and on Friday afternoon we’d take it in, and then the teacher would put it in a backpack so they’d be able to take food home with them to eat over the weekend,” said Griffey.

The Griffeys could never have guessed what the years ahead had in store for their boots-on-the-ground initiative. As the willingness of those couples to help met the sheer gravity of the situation, the number of students in need kept growing.

“Every weekend we were purchasing food, and then someone connected us with this little place out in the country that gave food away to people who were helping others, so we started going there and getting free food,” said Griffey. “You never knew what it was going to be — bread, milk, canned goods, some meat. So for us, when we were purchasing that much food, having access to free food like that felt like a miracle.”

That was until COVID came along and shut down the schools, cut off access to pertinent information, and, inevitably, cut off children’s access to food. With the schools closed, privacy concerns around student and housing information left Griffey and his team with limited reach. With no concrete leads, he started knocking. Door to door, family by family, and GymTown Pantry took shape. Each door told a different story, each an earth-shattering reality that many local residents and community members were facing: families struggling with job loss, children who hadn’t eaten in days, and a community left to pick up the pieces of government shutdowns and intense restrictions.

Griffey and his small but mighty team did what they believed was the only option: become a legitimate operation. They opened a 501(c)(3), began taking donations, and expanded coverage from 12 families in need to 500.

Just four years into the mission, Griffey retired from flooring and became full-time director of GymTown Pantry. The organization’s progress was astounding, in what Griffey describes as “crazy days.”

“God just put people in our lives to come and help and support, and so we would have anywhere from 20 to 50 volunteers show up at our house on a Saturday morning,” said Griffey.

The organization’s needs quickly outgrew the space the Griffeys had set aside for packing and deliveries, and the community responded in a big way. GymTown secured donors and good-hearted investments, and as of two years ago, moved into a new 14,000-square-foot warehouse equipped to meet the needs of the community and the organization’s growing demands.

Griffey and his team have kept the community at their core, thinking big-picture.

GymTown Pantry has built a network of volunteers, supporters and church organizations in an all-out effort to flatten the curve of food insecurity in Jimtown, Osceola, Elkhart and beyond. GymTown Pantry works closely with organizations such as Cultivate, out of South Bend, and the Milford Food Bank, near Warsaw.

Griffey, who has been delivering food directly to families for years, has transformed his food pantry into a community-focused organization that has course-corrected and supported families in their time of need, impacting family outcomes for generations to come.

He emphasizes the importance of awareness and community support: advocacy and the spread of information remain top priorities, alongside financial donations, volunteer support, and third-party service providers. Griffey’s innovative approach has built lasting, strong relationships with families, his community and many who go unseen by society.

Griffey’s journey from a food pantry that ran primarily out of his private home to the 14,000-square-foot warehouse began with a single “yes,” a response that went on to change the circumstances of his family’s life, and the lives of the many local residents who have since come to rely on the organization’s support.

“The more we’re able to raise awareness, the more lives are impacted. We have companies that, when they find out what the real need is, they step up. We have coalitions like the Hunger Ends Here Coalition, a group of pantries and food banks in our county that have come together to eliminate hunger here,” said Griffey.

Griffey spoke to the logistics and issues that plague the organization’s mission.

“The problem isn’t that there’s not enough food. There’s tons of food available. It’s getting that food into the hands of the people who need it,” said Griffey.

Today, the organization’s goals and mission remain the same, even as its impact has grown.

“We are a food bank now. Currently we’re getting free food to over 60 organizations every month. Those organizations represent about 8,000 families in the county,” said Griffey. “Our goal is to continue raising awareness, with hopes that more churches and organizations will step up and pledge support.”

Food insecurity advocacy is a means to break the cycle, break the stigma and spread information for the voiceless community members who need our help. The invaluable work of GymTown Pantry, its rockstar team and its countless volunteers has gone on to change the narrative around food insecurity and community service in Elkhart County. The Griffeys recognize that food insecurity doesn’t only affect those in poverty.

“Those in need are all around us. So we started with our community,” said Griffey. “Food insecurity is everywhere. It could be your neighbor. People right in your neighborhood who you’d think would never have that problem. But if you can help somebody with their food costs, they can take that money and put it toward bills or other things they don’t have to worry about. Instead of wondering, ‘How am I going to put food on the table this afternoon.'”

GymTown Pantry’s efforts are continuing to catch the attention of donors with plans of expansion and other community-focused initiatives for the future.

What began with six backpacks on a Friday afternoon has grown into a lifeline for thousands of families across Elkhart County — proof that a single “yes” can ripple outward for years. Griffey’s message to the community remains simple: the food exists, the need is real and the gap between the two is where neighbors can make the difference.

Whether through a donation, a volunteer shift, or simply spreading the word, anyone can help GymTown Pantry continue its mission, flattening the curve of food insecurity one family, one meal, and one conversation at a time.

To get involved, reach out at (574) 400-3858 or GymTownPantry@gmail.com, or send correspondence to PO Box 573, Osceola, IN 46561. To donate directly, visit their PayPal Giving Fund page atpaypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/4467037. To learn more about the broader coalition working to end hunger countywide, visit Hunger Ends Here athungerendshere.com.