Media Coverage

Ohio and Michigan food banks are joining forces with Kroger in Two States, One Plate, a community meal-packing event that will yield 25,000 meal kits for families in need.

“Half of the kits will remain in Ohio for distribution, and the other half will go to Michigan for distribution,” a Kroger spokesman said. “All will go to Feeding America food bank partners.”

Kroger’s Ohio and Michigan divisions are working with the Food Bank Council of Michigan and the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, both part of the Feeding America network.

Volunteers are needed for the packing event at Fifth Third Field on Tuesday. People can choose one, two, or all three shifts to pack the meal kits full of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options.

The shifts are 10 a.m. to noon, noon to 2 p.m., and 2 to 4 p.m. Sign-ups are available at bit.ly/3KcYYAy.

The area’s largest food bank, Second Harvest Food Bank, earlier this year saw the loss of a key federal food shipment worth more than $200,000. That food, already gathered, appears to have gone to no one.

Second Harvest Food Bank, a member of Feeding America and the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, serves the tri-county community by sourcing, collecting, storing and distributing 6 million pounds of food to 65 non-profit member agencies who feed the hungry directly.

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.