Geek Street starts a pantry
Also, Hingst family recognized by Ivy Tech as Benefactor of the Year
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Geek Street Starts a panty
A bright blue newspaper box sits on East Sycamore Street, right in front of Kokomo Toys and Collectables. But it’s filled with food and toiletries instead of the latest headlines. The members of “Geek Street” banded together this week to do their part in the fight against homelessness, and this miniature pantry is the fruit of their labor.
Adorned with the “Geek Street” name, the box is there for people in need. Like other makeshift pantries and libraries scattered across the city, those who need are allowed to take. Those who have more are encouraged to keep the pantry stocked. Kokomo Toys and Collectables owner Todd Jordan explained the reasoning for the pantry.
“World Homeless Day is observed every year on Oct. 10,” said Jordan. “We on Geek Street want to help in whatever way we can. The purpose of this day is to not only bring focus on the issues of homelessness, but to shine a light on the lack of affordable housing across the United States.
“Inflated property rates, coupled with poor wages and irregular work opportunities, are typically why many people find themselves without homes.”
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the incidence of homelessness hit an all-time low in 2016, with approximately 550,000 people reporting homeless status in January of that year. Since that time, the homeless rate has increased gradually to 580,000 in January 2020. The state of Indiana last reported a homeless population of 5,625 in January 2020. The entirety of that increase can be found among Americans over the age of 24 who are unsheltered.
Statistics for 2021 and 2022 were hindered by the COVID 19 pandemic and are either incomplete or unavailable.
“I can tell you that we have an unsheltered homeless population in Kokomo. I see them every day under the gazebo. It’s not always the same people, but at least during the day, that gazebo is their shelter.” — Comics Cubed owner Shawn Hilton
Given the trend observed over the past six years, Jordan and the other Geek Street members felt the pantry was something they could do to ease the condition of those currently homeless. The reality of the situation is not lost on Comics Cubed owner and Geek Street member Shawn Hilton. He sees the problem every day.
“My business sits right next to the gazebo in Millennium Park,” said Hilton. “I can tell you that we have an unsheltered homeless population in Kokomo. I see them every day under the gazebo. It’s not always the same people, but at least during the day, that gazebo is their shelter.
“In a community as fortunate as ours, we shouldn’t tolerate the condition these people find themselves in. We obviously need to do more. This pantry may not be much, but it is something. I hope it can make a difference for someone.”
Jordan encouraged the entire community to step up and do something to help end homelessness by supporting the organizations devoted to addressing the problem.
“We are blessed to live in an amazing community like Kokomo that has been going above and beyond over the years,” said Jordan. “We are happy to be a small part of that. We want to help with this small pantry and at the same time help raise awareness on the continued need to provide opportunities for Kokomo to get involved in responding to homelessness.
“We cannot express enough that we strongly encourage the community to support the Kokomo Rescue Mission, the United Way, and others who have boots on the ground helping people on a daily basis right here in our community. Contrary to popular belief, homelessness is on the rise.”
“Geek Street” is the name given to the 100 block of East Sycamore Street in Kokomo. It is so named due to the presence of pop culture related businesses on that block and in the immediate area. Geek Street members include Kokomo Toys and Collectables, Comics Cubed, Chapter Two Books, American Dream Hi-Fi, and Kingdom Cards and Games.
Hingst Family honored as Ivy Tech’s Benefactor of the Year
Kokomo’s Hingst Family, led by brothers Bob Hingst and Bill Hingst, was honored Oct. 6 with the Ivy Tech Community College Benefactor of the Year Award for the College’s Kokomo Service Area.
With the Benefactor of the Year Award, the Ivy Tech Foundation honors individuals, corporations and foundations from Indiana who have considerably impacted Ivy Tech communities and students. The 2022 awards were presented at a banquet in Indianapolis Sept. 29 that honored benefactors from the 19 Ivy Tech service areas across the state. The award celebrates the gifts and volunteer service that have been contributed to the College.
“Three generations of the Hingst Family have made their marks on Ivy Tech Kokomo,” said Ethan Heicher, chancellor for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area. “From John Hingst, a member of the founding board of Ivy Tech in Kokomo, to his sons Bob Hingst and Bill Hingst, and on to Bill and Bob’s children, the family’s support of our students and our community has been transforming.”
Their service to what was then known as Indiana Vocational Technical College began in 1968. John Hingst, the owner of Mid-America Beverage and a long-time community leader, was named a charter member of the board when the College began offering classes in a two-story building on the south end of Kokomo. He was elected the first chairman of the new regional board, a position he held for Ivy Tech Kokomo’s first 10 years. During his time in office, the Kokomo Center Township School Corporation donated 20 acres on the north side of Kokomo to Ivy Tech and in 1976, the College moved to its new facilities at 1815 E. Morgan St.
John Hingst later was one of the first recipients of an honorary degree awarded in Ivy Tech’s Kokomo region.
The first major financial donation from the family business, Mid-America Beverage, was a significant gift to the Ivy Tech Kokomo Vision Campaign in 2007. In 2015, Mid-America donated funds to establish the Mid-America Beverage scholarship to support students in the ASAP program.
In 2018, the Hingst Family made the first and one of the largest donations to #THETIMEISNOW campaign to raise $3 million in community support to complete the $43 million transformation of Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Campus. In recognition of this gift, the campus’s new community room was named Hingst Hall in honor of the late John Hingst and his wife Hilda. The donation was jointly made by Bill and Ginny Hingst and their children, Jack and Katie, and Bob and Mary Hingst and their children, Eric, Ann and Sarah.
Bob Hingst served as a member of the steering committee for the successful community fund-raising campaign and encouraged many other donations.
“First John and then his sons have used their influence as community leaders to encourage other community leaders to support Ivy Tech throughout its more than 50-year history in Kokomo,” Heicher said. “Jack Hingst and Ann Hingst Vyas are next-generation leaders of Mid-America Beverage who are continuing the family’s connections to Ivy Tech and the community.”
Jack and his wife, Monica, have recently established an endowed scholarship, the Michael Caldwell Hingst Memorial Scholarship, to benefit nursing students. Monica currently serves Ivy Tech statewide as assistant vice president of strategy outcome and implementation.
Kelly Karickhoff, executive director of Resource Development, said the impact of Hingst Hall, with seating for up to 300 people and up-to-date audiovisual technology, cannot be over-stated.
“This space allows us to bring many people to the campus who had never had firsthand exposure to Ivy Tech and allows us to tell the Ivy Tech story in a new and very personal way,” Karickhoff said. “And, of course, it’s a wonderful space for student activities and faculty and staff meetings that had to be held in make-shift spaces or off campus before. We are grateful for the Hingst family and for their continued Investment in Ivy Tech and our students.”
For more information, photos, and biographies for all recipients of the award, visit www.ivytech.edu/benefactors.