Media Coverage

While food banks are beginning to recover following the longest government shutdown in history, officials say they are still experiencing record numbers of clients due to rising costs.

Ohio Association of Foodbanks Executive Director Joree Novotny said food banks and pantries statewide have started to see a plateau in visits since the government shutdown ceased, with more visitors than previous years. “We're definitely seeing — as we have every month throughout the year — much higher-than-average numbers of folks coming to our food pantries for help with groceries,” she said in an interview.

“It’s thanks to Ohio’s hunters from across our great state that families will have the option to pick up venison at a local food pantry,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “It’s truly amazing what we can accomplish when we come together with a common goal.”

For donation days, The Division of Wildlife partnered with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction's Ohio Penal Industries' meat processing facility at the Pickaway Correction Institution. ODNR said so far, 1,150 pounds of venison have been given to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks for distribution to West Ohio Foodbank, Mid-Ohio Food Collective and Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Executive Order 2025-07D, directing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program funding to initiatives that will assist struggling families, support children and encourage workforce development.

The executive order distributes funds to the following local organizations: Up to $350,000 in each of the next two fiscal years (FY2026 and FY2027) will be used to assist Children’s Hunger Alliance in providing food assistance statewide.

Up to $390,000 in each of the next two fiscal years (FY2026 and FY2027) will be used to assist Marion Goodwill Industries, Inc. in providing workforce development training to eligible children in Adams, Butler, Carroll, Clermont, Clinton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Defiance, Delaware, Franklin, Fulton, Geauga, Hancock, Hamilton, Henry, Lake, Lucas, Jefferson, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Seneca, Stark, Tuscarawas, Union, Warren, Williams and Wood counties.

Up to $500,000 in each of the next two fiscal years (FY2026 and FY2027) will be used to assist Ohio Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs in providing workforce development services to eligible youth in Allen, Ashtabula, Athens, Butler, Cuyahoga, Erie, Franklin, Hamilton, Huron, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Marion, Montgomery, Scioto, Stark, Summit, Washington and Wayne counties.

Up to $250,000 in each of the next two fiscal years (FY2026 and FY2027) will be used to assist Ohio Association of Foodbanks in providing food assistance to families statewide.

Baker also talked about how price increases for things such as food and utilities have made it even harder to make ends meet.

“The Ohio Association of Foodbanks estimates over 7% of older adults go hungry in Ohio,” she said. “Locally, the Dayton Foodbank estimates that over 1,300 senior food boxes are delivered each month to older adults in the Miami Valley. Many of our seniors are making choices between food and medicine. Anything we can do to help makes a huge difference”.

Choosing between food and other needs is something some Ohioans are already familiar with, as demand for help from food banks continues to rise.

“We are days removed from the federal (government) shutdown and still coming out of crisis response mode across our network,” said Grace Wagner, director of health initiatives at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

During the shutdown, the association saw a 46% increase in the number of individuals reaching out for emergency services, partly due to a pause in SNAP benefits as a result of the shutdown.

This was on top of demand that was already 41% higher than in 2022, and amid reductions in contributions from the USDA to food banks.

The food banks and health care workers are also working hard to give people the most up to date information, but the changes and uncertainty in how the changes will play out on a state level mean the groups are “weighing information paralysis,” as Wagner put it.

Up to $250,000 in each of the next two fiscal years (FY2026 and FY2027) will be used to assist Ohio Association of Foodbanks in providing food assistance to families statewide.