What's a Non-Food Pantry & Why Does the
Hamilton County, Indiana, Community Need One?

            Food and water are survival necessities. Hamiltoncounty.in.gov currently lists 30 food pantries throughout the county offering Hamilton County resident’s assistance with meeting those needs.

         Weather, work, and school appropriate clothing, personal hygiene products, and cleaning supplies are quality of life necessities. So are dignity, self-esteem, and self-confidence. Those needs were not being met with any consistency when Marilyn's Place Incorporated was founded in the fall of 2018.

         That did not change until Marilyn’s Place Non-Food Pantry opened July 31st, 2020, to provide the tangible commodities clients need, when they need them, in a way that's as close to a normal shopping experience as possible, including a limited budget and freedom of choice over what to buy as well as the brand, size, flavor, form, etc. But instead of cash clients pay with voucher points.     

         The qualification policy is simple: request assistance, provide basic contact and demographic information, review and sign the Participation Rules and Procedures. Asking for help is hard enough without having to jump through hoops to get it. We do, however, reserve the right to require documentation substantiating need should our fiduciary duty to donors as well as clients necessitate doing so, ie. circumstances indicate voucher point purchases are being sold for profit.