News & Updates

With foodbanks across Ohio serving more pantry visitors in the last six months than at any point in their nearly 35-year history, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks is calling for urgent action to secure funding in the 2026-2027 state budget. On February 12, the Ohio Assocation of Foodbanks hosted its “Friends of the Foodbanks Day” at the Ohio Statehouse, bringing together food pantry leaders, partner farms, faith leaders and other hunger relief advocates for a day of advocacy and action. The event highlighted the increased demand for food assistance and the essential role of state funding in ensuring families in all 88 Ohio counties have access to nutritious food. The program began with a networking session, followed by compelling remarks from Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, who addressed the growing strain on the state’s hunger relief network and the recently proposed decrease in funds.

“Today, USDA announced $1 billion toward a national investment in proven initiatives that respond to the needs of people facing hunger and invest in resilient local food supply chains and farmers.

“The USDA will allocate $500 million nationally for additional food purchases for emergency food providers through the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Commodities available through TEFAP have made up a declining share of the overall food our network is able to source to prevent hunger and hardship. This additional allocation will be critical to supplementing the continued support that foodbanks receive from retailers and manufacturers, generous local donors, farmers and food producers, and our partners at the State of Ohio.

COLUMBUS, OH – A study conducted by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks found that an alarming number of Ohioans are being forced to choose between buying food and paying for other essential expenses including medication, household utilities and childcare. The findings, released today, are from an anonymous statewide survey, which included 2,301 validated responses from residents in 30% of all Ohio zip codes.

“The stark reality revealed by this study is a wake-up call for all of us. It is unacceptable that so many Ohioans are forced to make impossible choices between feeding their families and covering basic needs like transportation and housing,” said Joree Novotny, executive director for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. “Ohio's foodbanks are operating at full capacity, yet the demand continues to grow. The fact that so many people are skipping meals and struggling to balance essential expenses highlights the urgent need for action.”

Key Findings from Study
After enduring over a year of above-average inflation and rising costs for food and other essentials, paired with the expiration of pandemic-era Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in March 2023, Ohioans are visiting Ohio’s foodbank network at record rates. To gain insight into the impact of these challenges, a study gathered survey responses from Ohio foodbank clients who attended food distributions in rural, suburban, and urban communities between April 15 and May 12, 2024.
Among the study’s highlights:

• Nearly two-thirds (65.2%) of Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ neighbor households reported that the adults in their households skipped meals in the past year because they did not have enough food, including more than a third (34.9%) that reported doing so every month or almost every month over the past year.
• Nearly 3 in 5 households surveyed are not participating in SNAP. For those that are participating, nearly two-thirds report that their SNAP benefits are exhausted in two weeks or less each month.
• Findings also underscored that most Ohioans who are able to work are working. Of those households without current employment, they reported multiple reasons for not working, with some reporting more than one reason. More than half (58%) said they were not working because they are ill or disabled; 40.9 percent said they are retired; and others said they were taking care of their home or family (9.6 percent), going to school (6 percent), or were looking for work or had been laid off (4.5 percent).
• When asked how often they expect to need to seek help from Ohio’s foodbanks in the next 12 months, 89.6 percent said they would need help as often or more often than in the past 12 months, including a third (33.7 percent) who said they would need help more often.

“We really are a critical part of community infrastructure, so by funding food and making sure it’s on the shelves, we’re bringing people in and providing a whole host of wrap around services as well. So I think it’s a win-win-win for everyone involved so we’re looking forward to working with the state of Ohio to restore these cuts and find additional support,” Ohio Association of Food Banks Executive Director Joree Novotny said.

Recent federal executive orders have left many organizations in Ohio navigating uncertainty, particularly when it comes to funding for essential services.

Food banks, which serve as a critical safety net for families in need, are feeling the strain.

Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said demand has been surging across the state as economic pressures grow, leaving local organizations struggling to keep up.

"We can do a lot with a little, but we can't do it all," Novotny pointed out. "We do rely and count on our partners in local, state and federal government to be another leg on the stool of what it takes to make sure that when people are in need and facing crisis, they can turn to us for basic help with food."

Food banks across Ohio are grappling with a potential funding shortfall that could leave them without millions of dollars, advocates warned this week. The Ohio Association of Food Banks, led by Executive Director Joree Novotny, is sounding the alarm as more families are forced to seek assistance due to rising living costs.