Media Coverage

Joining us for NBC4 at 11pm, we will be talking with the Ohio Association of Foodbanks about the boost and how long this help will last.

As the nation braced for the expected lapse in the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP) on the final day in October, federal judges ruled the government must continue funding the program.

Rulings by judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use over $5 billion in contingency funds to continue SNAP.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Thursday he signed an executive order that he says will provide up to $25 million in food assistance as the continued federal government shutdown threatens to affect Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits.

The governor said the executive order will direct the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to give $7 million to various food banks across the state and up to $18 million in emergency relief benefits. The benefits would go to help more than 63,000 Ohioans, including more than 57,000 children, who are at or below 50% of the federal poverty level.

Food banks statewide have been stressing that they're open during the shutdown, and have been ready to help federal workers who have stopped getting paychecks. But they're also preparing for more demand if the shutdown continues, and as they get ready for the holiday season and winter. The Ohio Association of Foodbanks said in a statement last week: “We are counting on our donors, supporters and communities to step up in any way they can as our network continues its response. This situation underscores the vital role of public-private partnerships in supporting working families."

The 1.4 million Ohioans in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will see their food benefits end if the federal shutdown drags on through November. People who work with those low-income Ohioans are growing concerned about the potential impact.

"We have been notified by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services that SNAP benefits for food will no longer be loaded on cards starting Nov. 1," said Jon Honeck, executive director of the Ohio Association of Job and Family Services Directors, who run the local JFS offices in the state's 88 counties.

Almost 12% of Ohio's population receives SNAP benefits. In 2023, nearly one in five Ohio households with kids participated in SNAP, and almost 44% of households led by a single female parent. Honeck said Ohio is a staggered issue state, meaning different SNAP recipients get benefits at varying times throughout the month.

Ohio state Rep. Juanita Brent on Monday called on Gov. Mike DeWine to take action to ensure the state's food banks can continue to meet demand as a pause in federal SNAP money looms.

Brent (D-Cleveland) urged DeWine and the Ohio Controlling Board to shift emergency state funds to the organization that coordinates the state's 12 regional food banks.