Media Coverage

“The number of seniors seeking help from our statewide hunger relief network went up 133 percent from 2014 to 2024, including 70 percent in the last five years. Older Ohioans represent one in five people served by Ohio’s foodbanks and their local hunger relief partners. Ohio’s foodbanks are serving as a safety net to federal safety net programs, and we can’t continue to sustain a response at this pace without robust help. By investing in an increased minimum monthly SNAP benefit for older Ohioans, the State of Ohio can provide help to low-income seniors living on fixed incomes that aren’t keeping up with the cost of housing, medication, and food. We applaud the bill sponsors, Representatives Troy and Williams, for the introduction of this legislation –the bipartisan support is another strong example of the State of Ohio’s longstanding commitment to preventing and addressing hunger,” stated Joree Novotny, executive director for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

The Agriculture Department has halted millions of dollars worth of deliveries to food banks without explanation, according to food bank leaders in six states.

USDA had previously allocated $500 million in deliveries to food banks for fiscal year 2025 through The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Now, the food bank leaders say many of those orders have been canceled.

“I certainly look at our lines and look at our shelves and say we need some relief,” said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, which also reported canceled deliveries with no indication they would resume.

CLEVELAND — The situation has reached critical levels as inflation continues to strain household budgets across the state.

While pandemic-era food lines made headlines, current demand has quietly surpassed those emergency levels.

"From July through December of 2024, we served more food pantry visitors in that six-month span than we had in any six-month span in our 35-year history," reports Joree Novotny, Executive Director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, a network of 12 Feeding America food banks and 3,600 hunger relief agencies.

Food prices in the U.S. remain stubbornly high, having grown by more than 20% since the start of the pandemic, outpacing inflation.

Now hunger relief organizations warn a potential shutdown of the federal government could mean disruptions and delays for Ohioans who rely on federal aid through SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as Food Stamps.

Joree Novotny is executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.