News & Updates

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks applauds the Ohio General Assembly for passing important fraud protections that will save taxpayer dollars and protect low-income Ohioans. We want to especially thank Senators Tim Schaffer and Hearcel Craig for their sponsorship of Sub. Senate Bill 315 and Representatives Kellie Deeter and Tristan Rader for their sponsorship of Am. House Bill 163. These bipartisan, bicameral leaders worked with a sense of urgency, alongside Senate President McColley, Speaker Huffman, Senate Finance leadership including Chair Cirino, Vice Chair Chavez, and Ranking Member Hicks-Hudson, House Agriculture leadership including Chair Klopfenstein, Vice Chair Newman, and Ranking Member Miller, and House Finance leadership including Chair Stewart, Vice Chair Dovilla, and Ranking Member Sweeney, to see this critical effort through to the finish line.

“The Ohio Association of Foodbanks and our members are grateful to Senator Husted for his co-sponsorship of the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act. Ohio’s foodbanks, in partnership with USDA and the State of Ohio, proudly operate CSFP to connect about 30,000 seniors with nourishing staple foods every month. This legislation would help us make sure that seniors in need, especially those in rural Ohio, where service delivery is often more challenging, can have healthy food, and hope, delivered to their doorstep. We look forward to partnering with Senator Husted on this impactful bill,” said Joree Novotny, executive director, Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

“On behalf of the nearly 1.5 million Ohioans – primarily families with children, seniors, and disabled Ohioans – that count on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to help meet their monthly food needs, we thank Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, members of the Ohio General Assembly, and our partners at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services for today’s announcement to provide support for food assistance to help families impacted by the federal government shutdown.

“This meaningful stop-gap funding will assist our statewide foodbank network with its ongoing crisis response and provide additional direct assistance to families with children with very limited resources. The $7 million directed toward foodbanks will help to replenish the food supply we have that is being rapidly depleted.

“Many corporate and retail partners, community foundations, city and county officials, and individual donors have extended support directly to families and to our hunger relief network as we respond to the impact of the shutdown on the frontlines, and we want to also extend our gratitude for their collective support.

“We agree with Governor DeWine that these responses and emergency funds are not a viable, long-term solution. Thank you to our partners at the State of Ohio for identifying resources to support responsive, short-term relief. We want to thank members of Ohio’s congressional delegation for efforts to continue funding for SNAP during the shutdown, including U.S. Senators Husted and Moreno for their co-sponsorship of the Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025.

“For individuals facing food budget shortfalls who need to locate emergency help with food, please visit ohiofoodbanks.org to Find Your Foodbank and search for food distributions near you. Thank you to the volunteers and helping hands that continue to give of their time in support of their fellow Ohioans as we work together to meet this moment.”

Rep. Sean Brennan (D-14, Parma) wants to help bolster college graduation rates — improving the brain power of Ohioans — by addressing a most basic need: food insecurity.

Rep. Brennan and Rep. James Hoops (R-81, Napoleon) introduced HB 157, the Hunger-Free Campus Act, in 2025. It’s one of many well-thought-out pieces of legislation that still might not make it through the Ohio General Assembly in 2026.

Thousands of pounds of food from Ohio grocery stores end up at the dump each day, but food banks are expanding efforts to obtain edible items before they reach landfills.

Chuck Allen, director of food strategy for Greater Cleveland Food Bank, said from dry goods to meat and dairy, organizations are collecting food from grocers that would otherwise be thrown away. Allen pointed out that partnerships with retailers help food banks fill gaps for items not typically donated, including frozen meat.

“We need to be there as often as possible so that we’re able to capture all the fresh dairy and the produce so we can get that back out,” Allen said. “The majority of that product is picked up by our agencies.”

According to state data, partnerships between food banks and local retailers resulted in more than 150 million pounds of edible food being rescued across Ohio counties in 2025. The Ohio Association of Food Banks recovered 137 million pounds of food in its 12 regional pantries.

Next week, Findlay City Schools will be kicking off the Hancock County Summer Lunch Program. The program brings multiple community organizations together to address hunger countywide.

Food insecurity is felt by nearly 14% of people in Hancock County, according to the Ohio Association of Food Banks, and with school out for the summer, the need can become even greater.

School is out in Findlay, which means no more homework, tests or early morning wake ups. But it also means students no longer can rely on the school cafeteria.

Ohio Food Recovery’s 2025 Impact Report addresses the issue of food waste, defined as safe, edible food that is discarded instead of eaten. This waste occurs at many points across the food system, including homes, farms, grocery stores, restaurants, and manufacturing facilities. Common causes include produce that does not meet cosmetic standards, food nearing sell‑by or expiration dates, overproduction, and rejected or distressed food loads. Foodbanks play an essential role in addressing this challenge by working with local partners and farms, retailers, manufacturers, restaurants, and distributors to rescue and redistribute surplus food that would otherwise go to waste across all of Ohio's 88 counties. We are pleased to have coordinated with the Ohio Department of Health and local food recovery partners on this report.

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks is pleased to present this Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Cookbook. This book highlights special recipes from Celebrate Your Plate, utilizing CSFP focused ingredients to make simple and delicious meals, to nourish yo

Here you can find the methodology and sources for our 2026 County Fact Sheets.