Our Statewide Request for Hunger Relief Funding in the 2026-27 State Biennial Budget
Ohio’s hunger relief network is working every day to strengthen our communities by ensuring access to nutritious food. We are humbly requesting $36.98 million per year in the 2026-2027 state biennial budget to help us procure locally grown produce, protein, and dairy products, shelf-stable foods, and center-of-the-plate items. Ohio’s 12 regional Feeding America foodbanks and their 3,600 local hunger relief partners are a critical part of Ohio’s infrastructure, stepping up in times of crisis. As Ohioans work to recover and keep up with historic inflation and rising costs for basic household expenses, more families are turning to Ohio’s hunger relief network for support.
Food insecurity is present in every zip code, county and House and Senate district across Ohio. Often it is a leading indicator of larger issues facing households with low and moderate incomes, like rising costs for basic needs like housing, transportation, and health care, weakened social safety nets, gaps in access to healthy food, and more. Years of cumulative inflationary pressure have further exacerbated the need for help with food in Ohio’s communities. To respond effectively, we need the public, private, and charitable sectors working together on the same team. Fortunately, Ohio has a remarkable history of bipartisan support for effective public-private partnerships that alleviate and prevent hunger and support Ohio’s agricultural and food supply chain.
Ohio’s foodbanks and their local hunger relief partners in all of Ohio’s 88 counties provided take-home groceries to more food pantry visitors from July to December 2024 than in any other six-month period in our nearly 35-year history. Without the State of Ohio’s sustained investment in our proven state-funded food purchase programs, our charitable network cannot keep pace. These programs provide some of the most wholesome and nourishing foods available at foodbanks and food pantries, at no cost to local hunger relief providers or the people in need they serve. In turn, our foodbanks collectively leverage thousands of volunteers who contribute tens of thousands of volunteer hours, in addition to sourcing and rescuing more than 100 million pounds of donated food each year and raising funds to procure additional food and provide wraparound services and supports. We are proud of our ability to stretch the State of Ohio’s investment efficiently and effectively to put food on the table for families facing hunger while also generating economic activity and supporting jobs in the agricultural sector. This funding will continue that track record of decades-long partnership between farmers, producers, hunger relief providers, and the State of Ohio.
Why is this investment needed?
We are part of a complex local, regional, domestic, and global food supply chain that faces increasing challenges to its long-term stability. To contribute to a resilient agricultural sector in Ohio – the backbone of Ohio’s economy – we have been partners for nearly three decades in providing outlets for surplus or otherwise unmarketable fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy items. Our long-term, public-private partnership with the State of Ohio, Ohio’s farmers, growers, and producers, and Ohio’s foodbanks reduces food waste and supports agricultural partners navigating increasing volatility in their business of feeding the state, the nation, and the world. The foods we procure through our partnership with the State of Ohio represent some of the most wholesome and nutritious items available through our charitable hunger relief network. We are proud to be the State of Ohio’s partner in:
- Supporting Ohio families facing high costs for household expenses like housing, utilities, food, child care, transportation, and medical care.
- Promoting access to nutritious foods today and workforce development for a brighter tomorrow for Ohio students, workers, and justice-involved residents.
- Providing access to wholesome foods to Ohio’s growing population of older adults, helping them to age in place with dignity and manage chronic conditions.
- Partnering for a resilient agricultural industry that can continue to nourish Ohio’s families and Ohio’s future economy.