Food Banks

Faith groups and social safety net advocates are urging majority Republicans in the Ohio legislature to view the two-year budget they’ll introduce Tuesday as a moral document.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled $420 million for a program called the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, which helps food banks and other local groups provide food to their communities.

As Ohioans increasingly struggle to put food on the table, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks is urging elected leaders at the state and federal levels to commit to hunger relief programs.

Visits to food banks in Ohio have gone up around ten percent in each of the last three years, but Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed budget gives them less money.

One harvested deer yields around 50 pounds of venison, which equates to about 200 meals. Ohioans hunters can donate deer meet at one of 34 certified processing centers.

Southeastern Ohio has some of the highest rates of hunger in the state. But some folks in Perry County have found a way to help, one pig at a time.

Hilliard Food Pantry Board President Kyle Koppenhoefer said the community has donated around $100,000 and 20,000 pounds of food since the Sunday fire.

Low-income families in Ohio have been receiving additional food stamp benefits for the last two years. Food banks across the state expect a surge as the federal pandemic aid ends.

Ohio's food banks have asked for $50 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, saying the situation is "severe."

The leader of a statewide food banks association said the need is up and donations are down as inflation shrinks the food supply.