Media Coverage

Waiting for guidance. As states start to feel the impact of President Trump’s tax law, the popular “Big Beautiful Bill,” Ohio’s benefits programs wait for the next steps to change Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a food assistance program nearly 1.5 million Ohioans utilize, according to The Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ estimate.

The SNAP dates back to the Great Depression and, according to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, is still “our nation’s first line of defense against hunger.”

Additionally, there are 3 million people who teeter on the edge of the eligibility requirements, 30% of Ohio’s population. Impending changes to the program are currently outlined, with additional work-reporting requirements for nearly all individuals seeking benefits.

“So, there’s a lot more people that don’t have anywhere else to turn,” Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said. “They’re not poor enough to qualify for SNAP but might still find themselves facing budget shortfalls.”

As states start to feel the impact of President Trump’s tax law, Ohio’s benefits programs await guidance on changes to SNAP.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dates back to the Great Depression and, according to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, is still “our nation’s first line of defense against hunger.”

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks estimates that over 1.4 million people utilize SNAP benefits to afford groceries. But there are three million people who teeter on the edge of the eligibility requirements – 30% of Ohio’s population. Impending changes to the program are currently outlined, with additional work-reporting requirements for all individuals seeking benefits.

“So there’s a lot more people that don’t have anywhere else to turn,” said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. “They’re not poor enough to qualify for SNAP but might still find themselves facing budget shortfalls.”

Ohio’s SNAP-Ed program, the free nutrition-education arm pairing with the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, will shut down Oct. 1 under the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” ending school lessons, pantry demos and grocery-on-a-budget classes many low-income families rely on.

In 2024, Ohio SNAP-Ed partnered with more than 1,200 organizations, reaching 37,000 adults and 245,000 youth.

Eliza Richardson, nutrition programs coordinator for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said the end of SNAP-Ed erases more than cooking tips, it takes away tools helping families manage their health on tight budgets.

Families are bracing for less help every month getting dinner on the table. More changes are coming to the SNAP program, and it has the potential to reduce or eliminate benefits for millions.

For decades, lower-income families have supplemented their grocery store costs with SNAP benefits. Now, with new federal requirements, certain groups are at risk of losing those benefits.

The biggest change going into effect this fall is the new work requirements.

The largest anti-hunger program in the United State is undergoing major changes.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a federal safety net which has provided food assistance for vulnerable Americans since 1964 and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty”.

Food banks warn the changes could create a crisis in an already fragile system.

Under the new federal budget signed into law in July, Ohio will lose hundreds of millions in SNAP benefits.

However, programs like St. Luke’s mobile pantry are at risk.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut two federal programs that provide funds to schools and food banks to buy food directly from local farms, ranchers and producers. The USDA also cut nearly $500 million specifically intended to help food banks through its Emergency Food Assistance program.

Joree Novotny is the executive director at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. She said state and federal support provide about half of the supply that food banks across Ohio distribute to families in need.

“Without those investments in our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, we would see devastating ripple effects at the food bank level,” Novotny said. “We don’t have the food supply in our network to replace that purchasing power that 1.5 million Ohioans currently have at the grocery store.”

Additionally, the 2025 federal budget bill slashes more than $100 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps.

Many, including Novotny, are calling on the federal government for changes.