Media Coverage

A simple addition to Ohio's benefit cards could save thousands of Ohioans from millions of dollars in stolen food assistance.

Unlike most credit cards, Ohio's benefits cards don't have a chip. That makes the cards, known as the Direction Card of Ohio EBT, more susceptible to skimming technology that steals Ohioans' food benefits.

Thieves stole nearly $17 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from more than 34,000 Ohio households between June 2023 and December 2024. At that time, the federal government used taxpayer dollars to reimburse benefits that were stolen. Now, victims have to eat that loss.

This year, the Division of Wildlife began a partnership with the Ohio Penal Industries’ meat processing facility at the Pickaway Correctional Institution (PCI). Division of Wildlife staff will transport all donated deer to PCI for processing and packaging. Once packaging is complete, the Mid-Ohio Food Collective and the Ohio Association of Foodbanks will distribute all donated venison.

The Division of Wildlife intends to distribute donated venison to local food pantries in the areas where those who donated live and work. One deer can provide up to 200 meals.

The recent government shutdown magnified and exacerbated a sobering reality: a growing number of Ohio adults and children are going hungry.

The problem pre-dates the shutdown, and won’t be solved by simply turning SNAP benefits back on.

The issues are greater than providing the next meal. It’s the cost of childcare. It’s the rising price tag for health care, along with the uncertain future of federal programs with a long history of trying and not always succeeding in helping those in need.

During the shutdown, central Ohio food banks, community groups and Go Fund Me efforts rushed to fill the gap, but it’s a temporary fix, not a sustainable solution.

Where do we go from here?

We're discussing possible hunger solutions on this hour of All Sides.

Guests:

• Matthew Damschroder, director, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
• Joshua Goodwin, attorney, Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio
• Joree Novotny, executive director, Ohio Association of Food Banks
• Matthew Goldstein, founder/CEO of the non-profit Besa

The longest federal government shutdown in US history is over. But there’s uncertainty about how long before life will be back to normal for the 1.4 million Ohioans in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program who lost food stamp benefits during it.

SNAP recipients will get their benefits for November, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. ODJFS said this week the state processed partial payments for eligible households. That will now be deducted from the full amount households are set to get for November and then benefits will be transferred to electronic benefit transfer or EBT cards.

"In normal times it takes several days or even weeks for file transfers to move from the state to a third party vendor who then transmits data to the federal government who then basically takes steps to approve issuance of benefits," said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. "So to restart full issuance of benefits seemingly also takes some time. We don't know with certainty how much longer it will take."

ODJFS isn’t giving a timeline or a date.

While Americans receiving SNAP benefits may have breathed a sigh of relief with the passage Wednesday of legislation to end the longest government shutdown in American history, the true relief may take some time to make its way down to those in need.

With that in mind, the Lima Black Ministerial Alliance made a contribution to the city’s Stronger Together Fund to help the West Ohio Food Bank meet an increasing need for food donations.

The alliance’s $5,500 donation comes at a critical time, according to Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith and West Ohio Food Bank CEO Tommie Harner.

One thing the federal shutdown illustrated is how close untold numbers of people in our community are to going hungry.

As food stamps and paychecks stopped flowing for many residents, food pantries became overwhelmed. Foodbank Inc. used $500,000 in extra funding from Montgomery County commissioners to buy seven semi-trucks of food to stock shelves.