Strack & Van Til & Hy-Vee provide relief to Merrillville community

Origins:

On June 11, an EF-2 tornado tore through Merrillville, Indiana, damaging more than 200 homes and buildings, toppling trees and leaving thousands without power. Despite facing damage to its own store — which was just a block away from where the tornado hit — within hours Northwest Indiana’s hometown grocer, Strack & Van Til, stepped in to provide support and relief to impacted residents and employees in partnership with its parent company, Hy-Vee, Inc. Outside of its Merrillville store, Strack & Van Til set up a meal station, distributing thousands of hot meals, bottled water and bags of ice to local residents. Employee volunteers also traveled to nearby neighborhoods to deliver meals and supplies directly to residents who were without power. In addition to meals, Strack & Van Til employees helped remove rubble and fallen tree limbs from neighborhoods. The grocer also provided temporary housing for several of its own employees whose homes were damaged in the storm. In the aftermath, Strack & Van Til stood by its community, providing a helping hand to residents, customers and employees.

Contribution:

Strack & Van Til has served as Northwest Indiana’s local grocer since 1929. Today, the grocer operates 22 stores across the region and has more than 2,800 employees. Its mission — to make people’s lives easier — is reflected every day, including through its most recent tornado relief efforts, which focused on ensuring residents had easy access to basic essentials. Strack & Van Til is no stranger to supporting the communities it calls home. In 2025, the grocer helped raise more than $500,000 for local charities and nonprofits. Strack & Van Til has also provided ongoing support to the local Food Bank of Northwest Indiana for more than 20 years.

Objectives:

Following the tornado, Strack & Van Til’s top priority was identifying ways it could provide immediate support to the community without hindering disaster response efforts. Immediately after the storm, leaders contacted the county emergency manager to coordinate support efforts. From there, the Strack & Van Til team formulated a plan around these core objectives:

• Provide a convenient access point at the store for residents to pick up meals, water and ice
• Deploy a team of employee volunteers to local neighborhoods to reach residents who were without power and/or faced travel barriers due to damage and debris
• Identify Strack & Van Til employees who were impacted by the storm to provide temporary housing, food and water The goal was to support local community members, regardless of whether they had ever stepped foot in a Strack & Van Til store before.

Impact:

In times like these, grocery stores are often the first place communities turn to for relief, and Strack & Van Til was no exception. In the aftermath of the storm, Strack & Van Til played a critical role by providing residents with a place to restock food and essential supplies while also offering a safe place where people could have a sense of normalcy. Over the course of three days, Strack & Van Til served more than 10,000 free hot meals and distributed nearly 25,000 water bottles, along with a truckload-worth of bagged ice. The team also worked with the American Red Cross and Salvation Army to provide meals. The response from the community was overwhelming, with many residents and customers taking to social media to share their gratitude. “This is why we should support local businesses,” wrote one. “Thank you for always caring for the community,” wrote another. Strack & Van Til’s efforts also earned coverage from local media stations, earning more than $2.7 million in news coverage.

Quote:

“We have always shown up for our communities and never has that commitment been stronger than in times like these,” said Jeff Strack, president of Strack & Van Til. “In collaboration with Hy-Vee, we were able to provide meals to thousands of families in need and offer relief to those impacted by the recent tornado.”

Support Statement:

“What a great thing you are doing for the community — it’s truly inspiring to see your team come together to serve those in need after the tornado damage.” — Sheryl Wooten, Strack & Van Til customer