Media Coverage

Ohio families who rely on food pantries are struggling with more than the cost of groceries, according to a new statewide survey that highlights the broader financial pressures facing households.

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks surveyed more than 2,600 food pantry visitors across 77 of Ohio’s 88 counties. The organization found that many families are balancing the cost of food against other necessities, including utilities and transportation.

Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said families often turn to food pantries because their overall household budgets are falling short.

“So they’re coming to us for help with food, not only because they might be facing food budget shortfalls, but because they’re facing overall household budget shortfalls,” Novotny said. “So a lot are making trade offs between affording utilities or food, affording transportation or food, of course.”

Hunters are being asked to consider harvesting an extra deer to help Ohio families through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Field to Food Bank program.

White-tailed deer season is underway, and deer donations are being accepted throughout the season.

“The Field to Food Bank program helps manage Ohio’s white-tailed deer populations and address food insecurity in our state at the same time,” ODNR said in a news release.

First launched last October, the program saw 182 deer donated, amounting to 36,400 venison servings.

Field-dressed deer can be dropped off at designated locations for Division of Wildlife staff to then transport to the Ohio Penal Industries’ meat processing facility at Pickaway Correctional Institution for processing and packaging. ODNR works with the Ohio Association of Foodbanks to coordinate distribution.

More than half of households surveyed that visited an Ohio food bank were forced to choose between paying for utilities or paying for food, according to a new report.

That 57% statistic was even higher for households with children, which stands at 65%, according to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks annual report which surveyed 2,644 food pantry visitors from April 18 to May 22 this year.

“Ohioans are facing real, real challenges and difficult choices every day, and that those choices are putting them in situations that we know are untenable,” Ohio Association of Foodbanks Executive Director Joree Novotny said.

Utilities were not the only trade-off. 63% reported choosing between paying for transportation or food, and 59% said they were forced to choose between clothes and personal hygiene products or food. Another 48% said they had to choose between affording medicine or food, and 45% had to decide between paying their rent or mortgage or paying for food.

Food pantry visitors in Ohio said they are more financially squeezed than ever and have had to make tough decisions between buying groceries and paying bills for utilities or medicine, new data show.

Rising food costs, inflation, limited household resources and chronic health conditions continue to drive demand at food banks in the Buckeye State and across the country.

Audrey Vanzant, communications director for the Ohio Association of Food Banks, said more than half of people in food pantry lines, even with the assistance of federal programs, are being forced to make difficult decisions.

"This includes 63% who had to decide between affording transportation or affording food, 45% who had to decide between affording rent and affording food, and 48% who had to choose between medicine and affording food," Vanzant outlined.

The food bank, which released the survey, found more than half of households reported at least one member had to skip meals in the past year. Among them, nearly 60% said they skipped meals every month.

More than half of people who visited an Ohio foodbank in the last year had to choose between paying for medicine or buying food. That’s according to a survey of foodbank visitors released by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, which says there are other troubling findings in that report.

The report, done through electronic surveys in April and May, showed:

• 53% of households with a family member living with a chronic condition said they had to choose between buying medicine or food at least once during the year
• 57% of households had to choose between paying for utilities or food in the previous 12 months; that climbed to 65% for families with kids
• 52% reported at least one member of the household was forced to skip meals in the last year; among those, 59% had to skip meals every month
• 40% expected to rely on foodbanks or free meals more often in the next year; that went up to 52% for households with children

A total of 76% of households included a member living with a chronic illness or disability. Half of respondents said at least one member of the householder was employed during the previous 12 months. Among people in the other half of the pool of respondents, 48% said a household member couldn't work because of an illness or disability, 38% were retired and 11% were caregivers.

More than half of Ohio households surveyed at food pantries said someone in their household skipped meals in the past year, while many reported having to choose between buying food and paying for medicine or utilities, according to a new statewide hunger study.

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks released its 2026 Hunger Study on Tuesday, as September marks Hunger Action Month.