News & Updates

“The passage of the budget reconciliation bill will weaken access to wholesome food and reliable health care for many Ohio families. It includes fundamental, structural and sweeping changes to the nation’s primary food assistance program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These changes will be implemented at different intervals over the next three fiscal years and create ongoing uncertainty for communities facing food budget shortfalls and economic instability.

“Our network of 12 regional foodbanks and their 3,600 faith-based and charitable partners remain committed to doing as much as we can to stand side-by-side with children, parents, workers, seniors, and disabled Ohioans striving to keep healthy food on the table. We continue to be motivated to stretch resources in partnership with farmers, manufacturers, retailers, local, state, and federal government agencies and policymakers, and countless donors and volunteers.

“The promise of adequate, nourishing food helps families to think beyond meeting today’s basic needs and focus on pursuing brighter futures. Our resolve to ensure that promise is met across Ohio remains strong, and we will continue to call on our communities to link arms with us so that we can ensure no one in our great state goes hungry.”

The U.S. Senate has passed a version of the reconciliation bill that includes a 20% cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), totaling more than $180 billion through 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Food insecurity advocates said they are extremely concerned. The proposed cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would affect more than 40 million people nationwide.

In Ohio, experts project the change would create a gap the state can’t afford.

“Ohio would be responsible for nearly $400 million each year in new spending just to maintain what are already inadequate benefits for primarily children, seniors, disabled Ohioans and working families,” said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

“Everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious food and affordable health care, yet hunger and hardship persist in every corner of Ohio and every congressional district in America. The reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. Senate today would significantly reduce federal investments in SNAP and Medicaid, transferring more financial responsibility to state governments at a time when state budgets are already strained and undermining help with affording food and health care when both are already too expensive for families.

“For the first time, this legislation would require states to pay for a significant share of the cost of SNAP benefits. Based on error rates released yesterday by USDA, the State of Ohio would be responsible for nearly $400 million in new SNAP costs annually under this proposal. With state budgets already stretched thin, this would force local policymakers to make painful decisions and leave more families without the support that helps communities thrive. It would put SNAP benefits at risk for every vulnerable, eligible person.

“This bill forces Ohio to either identify hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue, eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars in other critical public services, or risk reduction or elimination of SNAP benefits for every vulnerable Ohioan. In Ohio, there are nearly 10,000 SNAP retailers – all of whom will be impacted by SNAP cuts in this bill, especially those in rural communities. It would also jeopardize funding that helps keep hospitals, particularly in rural areas, financially stable and accessible for families who rely on them. These programs work together to promote health, reduce emergency room visits, support child wellness, and sustain communities, saving taxpayer dollars in the long run.

“Ohio’s foodbanks are proud of our important role in preventing hunger, promoting access to healthy food, reducing food waste, leading food as medicine work, and supporting families and seniors when they face budget shortfalls. Through partnership with individual donors, corporations, food manufacturers, farmers, grocers and retailers, and local, state, and federal governments, and thanks to the generous efforts of thousands of steadfast volunteers, social service organizations, and faith-based charities, we continue to work harder every day to prevent hunger for Ohioans in need.

“But though we do a whole lot with a little every day, we are not equipped to fill the gaps that these fundamental, structural changes and cuts would create for children, seniors, veterans, disabled Ohioans, and working families. We urge the U.S. House of Representatives to reject this bill because of the strain it will create on state budgets and the harm it will cause for Ohio families already struggling to meet their basic needs.”

As a new school year begins in Ohio, an old problem persists: child hunger. Hunger relief programs continue to strain under the demand, while receiving less support from state and federal sources.

According to Feeding America, 1 in 5 children in the state face hunger, amounting to more than 517,000 kids.

“You have a lot of people bending heaven and earth to get food into kids mouths, but the problem is, we can’t do it alone,” said Deacon Nick Bates, director of Hunger Network in Ohio, which partners with religious congregations and local agencies to address hunger.

Bates has seen firsthand the compromises that have to be made at church food pantries and other hunger-relief efforts across the state because of state and federal budget cuts. Fresh foods are in limited supply, and resources are being spread thin.

“Instead of being able to give out five days worth of food, it means giving two to three days worth of food,” Bates said.

He said the long-term effects of hungry kids will hit the state in different ways, from health outcomes to education struggles, even with the waning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We should recognize that the pandemic may have ended, but the scars still remain,” Bates said. “One of those scars is hunger, and when kids are hungry, they’re more likely to get sick; when kids are hungry, they have trouble learning.”

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks is one of four state-based organizations selected for a prestigious $75,000 grant from Share Our Strength’s Medicaid Food Security Partners Program, part of the Medicaid Food Security Network (MFSN). Announced on August 26, 2025, the initiative aims to tackle food and nutrition insecurity by leveraging state Medicaid programs to connect vulnerable populations, particularly children and families, to critical nutrition resources like SNAP and WIC.

Food banks and local job and family services agencies are seeing an increase in public need as resources decrease due to both state and federal actions.

Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said the operating budget (HB 96) left the association with a $7.5 million reduction in funding compared to the previous fiscal year.

The purpose of this report is to highlight the main findings from a follow up survey on Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) which has been branded Ohio CAN (Community + Agriculture + Nutrition) in Ohio. The goal of the survey was to understand the perceived impact of the Ohio CAN program on local agricultural businesses. Survey questions were devised with input from Howard Fleeter & Associates, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, and regional foodbanks to collect data on business demographics, business growth, food safety, employment, food chain supply resiliency, wellness, and future business outlook.