Press Releases & Media Statements

"We are grateful to Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Tressel, and the Ohio General Assembly for their continued commitment to Ohio’s hunger relief network in the biennial state budget. Their $24.55 million per year investment in our state food purchase programs is a lifeline for the 3,600 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters serving families in every corner of our state. It will help keep shelves filled with Ohio-grown, Ohio-produced foods to nourish our neighbors while supporting local farmers, jobs, and communities.
“At a time when need remains high and resources are stretched thin, this partnership makes a real difference in the lives of children, older adults, veterans, and working families across Ohio. Access to food helps Ohio households avoid harmful tradeoffs and focus on learning at school, earning at work, and aging in place safely.
“More work to prevent hunger and hardship remains on the horizon. Other sources of food for food pantry shelves are also in decline. Federal reconciliation, if passed, could cut food assistance and health care coverage for countless Ohio families and shift $400 million in food assistance costs each year to the State of Ohio. Ohio’s charitable hunger relief network is already strained and we will not be able to fill the gaps this will create in access to food assistance on our own.
“We are thankful for this continued partnership and remain committed to working alongside the DeWine-Tressel Administration, the General Assembly, and our local partners to protect and provide healthy, accessible food for every Ohioan who needs it.”

More than 230 local and statewide organizations, companies, associations, unions, and provider networks urge Senators Husted and Moreno to reject structural changes and cuts to SNAP in budget reconciliation.

“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.