Media Coverage
We’re here to support those folks' | Freestore Foodbank helps those in need during the holidays
Freestore Foodbank kept its doors open through Christmas Eve to make sure families had groceries for the holidays.
The market gave 50 pounds of food to each family who shopped.
"It's nice because not everybody has someone who cares," shopper Victoria Sprechera said.
According to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, food banks in 2023 saw a 34% increase in families taking home groceries from food banks compared to 2022. That's a 56% increase from 2019.
Truitt said some families come in with difficult decisions, and he hopes the market alleviates some of their stress.
West Ohio Food Bank Podcast Ep 2 Sarah Kuhns and Legislative Breakfast
Sarah Kuhns on the West Ohio Food Bank Podcast!
"Sarah Kuhns from the Ohio Assoc of Food Banks joins us to talk politics, the farm bill, and much more, plus we recap out elected officials breakfast we had at the food bank on Dec. 16."
Food-stamp theft jumps in Cuyahoga County - and federal repayment for victims is at risk
CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County is seeing a spike in electronic benefits theft, just as a lifeline for victims is about to expire.
Last week, Patricia Warren was shocked to realize that her EBT, or food-stamp, card had been drained. Her monthly payment of $153 arrived at midnight and disappeared while she was sleeping, leaving only a few dollars in her account.
“How can they do this?" she said on Monday while sitting in the living room of her house on Cleveland’s East Side.
The 65-year-old great-grandmother isn’t alone.
Cuyahoga County has received a record-high 1,199 reports of EBT theft this month – and it’s only mid-December. Such thefts, carried out by sophisticated criminal rings using card-skimming devices to steal data, are a growing problem across the country.
Ohio has processed more than 25,000 food-stamp theft reports since June of 2023. And the state has repaid upwards of $12.6 million in stolen benefits, using federal money to make families whole.
Free, unbiased health insurance help available for Ohioans
Ohioans have until Jan. 15 to sign up for health insurance coverage during the open enrollment period.
Programs like Get Covered Ohio are available to help people navigate their options on HealthCare.gov or apply for Medicaid.
Grace Wagner, director of health initiatives for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said the program's navigators are certified by the federal government and licensed by the state of Ohio, and they are not trying to sell anyone anything.
"Navigators through Get Covered Ohio are here to provide free and unbiased assistance to anyone looking to find coverage and assess their options," Wagner explained.
Ohio has designated the majority of its American Rescue Plan Act funds. Here’s where the money is going
Billions of dollars came to Ohio through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus in 2021. Now, three years later, the majority of the state’s coronavirus relief funds have been committed to a cause.
More than 87% of the state’s $5 billion has been assigned, with the biggest chunks going toward water and sewer projects, health and human services and unemployment support.
“The long term outcome of many of these investments will be seen years from now and may transform communities,” said Susan Jagers, director the Ohio Poverty Law Center, who helps run the Ohio ARPA Tracker.
The state has until the end of the year to commit all of its funding, then another two years to distribute the money. More than half of the money – totalling around $3.2 billion – has already gone to communities across the state.