Thursday evening witnessed heavy rain in Valparaiso, with parts of the city remaining without power due to recent storms. Despite this, Nana Clare’s Kitchen was bustling with volunteers preparing meals. They chopped vegetables, assembled tomato-topped ugly bread, prepared green mac and cheese, and handled dish cleaning tasks. Michelle Danielewicz, a volunteer from Portage, used her phone to verify the spelling of ratatouille for labeling meals, inspired by the 2007 film, as she helped create free meals at Nana Clare’s Kitchen on August 13, 2026.
Steph Talarek, a Porter resident, founded Feed the Region in January and launched meal services the following month. Relying on donations, she is in the process of acquiring non-profit status. Her mission is to provide free meals to anyone in need, irrespective of their income or place of residence. Talarek is exploring expansion to Lake County and aims to extend her services throughout a six-county region. On Thursday, the goal was to deliver more than 300 meals to those in need, including offering deliveries.
Over 20 volunteers gathered at Nana Clare’s to assist with preparing and distributing meals. Recipients of these meals also received a small vase of flowers from Chesterton’s community garden. “This has been an idea of ours for a while,” said Talarek, donning a brown Feed the Region shirt, with her hair tied back in a ponytail. She works in software, and her husband, Adam Stranc, is with Cleveland Cliffs. They have faced challenges in the past but always aimed to support their community. “Once we understand how to manage, we give back,” Talarek explained. Given recent difficulties, the initiative felt timely.
Every Thursday, the organization typically serves around 100 meals, prepared with the help of six to eight volunteers. In previous efforts, Talarek delivered sandwiches and drinks to Wheatfield following an April tornado, although most people managed well there. The recent storm-related meal distribution in Valparaiso marked a more urgent response. “This is our first one triggered by a storm. People here lack power,” Talarek noted.
Volunteer Brenden Hess added olive oil as he worked with his mother, Amy, and Kelly Enderson to make “ugly bread.” The team usually prepares 100 meals, but increased it to more than 300 due to Tuesday’s storm. In social media updates, Talarek encouraged the community to collect meals for others; some planned to distribute 15 meals as part of the effort.
Jody Gawthrop from Hobart found Feed the Region on Facebook and joined earlier this year. “It’s exciting to get involved,” she said. The mission to provide free meals and deliver them is open to anyone who wants to help.
Amy Hess and her 10-year-old son, Brenden, wrapped ugly bread for delivery. Brenden packed each foil-wrapped piece into bags. They live in Valparaiso, and Amy had connected with Talarek due to her sourdough bread-making. The Hesses enjoy taking part in this community initiative. Brenden expressed interest in a lemonade stand fundraiser for Feed the Region despite the weather, but for now, he focused on his task of wrapping bread. “He’s good when he has something to do,” Amy mentioned.
Carol Presdorf, also from Hobart, started volunteering in the summer to support the cause. “Usually, I cut vegetables and clean up, as cooking isn’t my skill,” she joked. On Thursday, she helped wash dishes.
Along with pasta and bread, Talarek considered adding chili to the menu. Canned beans were lined up in the kitchen, ready for use. “We planned to fill the freezer with meals,” Talarek said, noting that the location maintained power throughout the storms, allowing for food storage. “Storing the meals was meant for this moment,” she stated. “Now, it’s time to distribute them.”
To learn more, visit www.feedtheregion.org.