Media Coverage

More than 100,000 Ohioans are no longer receiving government help to buy food after federal overhauls to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.

According to state data, 137,000 fewer Ohioans were enrolled in SNAP from July 2025, when President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, through July 2026. That includes roughly 60,000 children, and under drastic changes to the program's eligibility requirements, likely veterans, young people aging out of foster care, and certain noncitizen populations.

The loss comes at a time when Americans, regardless of financial status, are struggling to afford basic needs like groceries, rent, utilities and health care. Since 2019, at-home food costs have risen 33%. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average cost of groceries per month for a single person in Franklin and Hamilton counties is more than $350. The average monthly SNAP benefit for an Ohio household is $191.

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.

High school sophomore Lavender Johnson studied a small green leaf during a break from class in her school day. It was sprouting from a hydroponic tower in the corner of her classroom in western Ohio.

“These are like little babies,” Johnson said. “You don't want to take them while they're babies. They're not gonna be good.”

The refrigerator-sized tower is lit up like a Christmas tree with white LED lights at its center, surrounded by a wall of leafy greens sprouting out of little holes. The lettuces’ roots dangle in water – not soil – that’s packed with nutrients.

After examining the cascade of green, Johnson grabbed a big bunch in the sweet spot.

“These are ready to be plucked. They’re like ‘Man, I've been here for so long, I'm tired of dealing with these kids.’ They're just trying to leave,” she said.

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.