Press Releases & Media Statements

“We are grateful to Chairman Cirino, Vice Chairman Chavez, Ranking Member Hicks-Hudson, and leadership and members of the Ohio Senate for including continued support for Ohio’s hunger relief network in its budget. This $24.55 million investment is a lifeline for the 3,600 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters serving families in every corner of our state.

“At a time when food prices remain high, this funding will help keep shelves stocked with healthy, Ohio-grown and Ohio-produced foods. It will help ensure that children, older adults, veterans, and working families don’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from. Every dollar invested in our statewide food purchasing programs not only fights hunger, but creates jobs, strengthens local supply chains, and boosts local economies.

“We are also thankful that the Senate removed harmful policy changes, like change reporting, that would have disrupted SNAP access and increased red tape. Protecting these programs means protecting people, communities, and the systems that keep them resilient in hard times.

“Ohio’s foodbanks remain ready to stretch every public dollar and continue delivering for our neighbors. We look forward to support for these priorities in conference committee and to building on this foundation with the Ohio General Assembly and the DeWine-Tressel Administration for an even stronger, more food-secure Ohio.”

As Congress considers the budget reconciliation legislation this week, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks urges lawmakers to reject proposals that would reduce funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. These programs are vital for everyday Ohioans in every Congressional district. Cutting them would only worsen hunger and hardship across our state.

“We are grateful to Chairman Stewart, Ranking Member Sweeney, and the members of the House Finance Committee for continuing to prioritize the essential work of Ohio’s foodbanks in Am. Sub. H.B. 96. Their support of $24.55 million per year in state-funded food purchase programs helps ensure that nearly 2,000 food pantries and 1,600 soup kitchens, shelters, and supplemental feeding sites can provide nutritious, center-of-the-plate foods to families in every corner of our state.

“Foodbanks and the people we serve are feeling the effects of inflation. Since 2020, food prices have surged by nearly 24%, meaning the same level of funding buys significantly less, both in consumers’ grocery carts and in our own purchasing power as a statewide hunger relief network. That’s why we’re respectfully asking for an additional $4.93 million per year to help offset these rising costs, so we can continue to source healthy, nutrient-dense foods to nourish families and seniors and support Ohio agriculture.

“We look forward to working with members of the Ohio Senate to adjust this investment to account for some of the inflationary pressure we are attempting to absorb. With modest additional support, Ohio’s foodbanks will continue to stretch every dollar to maintain access to healthy foods when seniors and working families are forced to turn to us for help.”

With foodbanks across Ohio serving more pantry visitors in the last six months than at any point in their nearly 35-year history, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks is calling for urgent action to secure funding in the 2026-2027 state budget. On February 12, the Ohio Assocation of Foodbanks hosted its “Friends of the Foodbanks Day” at the Ohio Statehouse, bringing together food pantry leaders, partner farms, faith leaders and other hunger relief advocates for a day of advocacy and action. The event highlighted the increased demand for food assistance and the essential role of state funding in ensuring families in all 88 Ohio counties have access to nutritious food. The program began with a networking session, followed by compelling remarks from Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, who addressed the growing strain on the state’s hunger relief network and the recently proposed decrease in funds.

“Today, USDA announced $1 billion toward a national investment in proven initiatives that respond to the needs of people facing hunger and invest in resilient local food supply chains and farmers.

“The USDA will allocate $500 million nationally for additional food purchases for emergency food providers through the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Commodities available through TEFAP have made up a declining share of the overall food our network is able to source to prevent hunger and hardship. This additional allocation will be critical to supplementing the continued support that foodbanks receive from retailers and manufacturers, generous local donors, farmers and food producers, and our partners at the State of Ohio.

COLUMBUS, OH – A study conducted by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks found that an alarming number of Ohioans are being forced to choose between buying food and paying for other essential expenses including medication, household utilities and childcare. The findings, released today, are from an anonymous statewide survey, which included 2,301 validated responses from residents in 30% of all Ohio zip codes.

“The stark reality revealed by this study is a wake-up call for all of us. It is unacceptable that so many Ohioans are forced to make impossible choices between feeding their families and covering basic needs like transportation and housing,” said Joree Novotny, executive director for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. “Ohio's foodbanks are operating at full capacity, yet the demand continues to grow. The fact that so many people are skipping meals and struggling to balance essential expenses highlights the urgent need for action.”

Key Findings from Study
After enduring over a year of above-average inflation and rising costs for food and other essentials, paired with the expiration of pandemic-era Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in March 2023, Ohioans are visiting Ohio’s foodbank network at record rates. To gain insight into the impact of these challenges, a study gathered survey responses from Ohio foodbank clients who attended food distributions in rural, suburban, and urban communities between April 15 and May 12, 2024.
Among the study’s highlights:

• Nearly two-thirds (65.2%) of Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ neighbor households reported that the adults in their households skipped meals in the past year because they did not have enough food, including more than a third (34.9%) that reported doing so every month or almost every month over the past year.
• Nearly 3 in 5 households surveyed are not participating in SNAP. For those that are participating, nearly two-thirds report that their SNAP benefits are exhausted in two weeks or less each month.
• Findings also underscored that most Ohioans who are able to work are working. Of those households without current employment, they reported multiple reasons for not working, with some reporting more than one reason. More than half (58%) said they were not working because they are ill or disabled; 40.9 percent said they are retired; and others said they were taking care of their home or family (9.6 percent), going to school (6 percent), or were looking for work or had been laid off (4.5 percent).
• When asked how often they expect to need to seek help from Ohio’s foodbanks in the next 12 months, 89.6 percent said they would need help as often or more often than in the past 12 months, including a third (33.7 percent) who said they would need help more often.