Press Releases & Media Statements

“Our foodbanks are adapting to this public health crisis swiftly and expertly, thanks to their training and experience in responding in crisis and disaster,” said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. “But this pandemic poses serious challenges to our normal food distribution channels, as well as Ohio’s broader response to food insecurity. We are urging fast, definitive action from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the USDA, Congress and the President to mitigate the rising risk of hunger amid this outbreak.”

SNAP has several key features that make it effective in reducing food insecurity and improving health outcomes. Congress protected and preserved SNAP in the Farm Bill it passed on a widely bipartisan basis one year ago. Today's rule and others ignore the will of Congress to prevent food insecurity through the nation's first line of defense against hunger.

On Monday, the association welcomed Congressman Troy Balderson to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, where he administered an oath of service to 65 new AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates. Thanks to a partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service, the association has deployed these national service members in communities across Ohio to help combat childhood hunger this summer. "It's inspiring to see our community organize to combat an issue which affects 1 in 5 students across Ohio: food insecurity," said Balderson. "I applaud those who today committed themselves to making a difference in our community."

Food insecurity for older adults age 50 to 59 in Ohio is a particular problem, with 15 percent struggling with food insecurity, ranking Ohio 9th nationally. More than four in 10 of those older adults are living with disabilities, and about half are not homeowners.

"This research clearly demonstrates the interconnectedness of food security and poverty-related issues," said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. "When individuals reach their near-retirement and retirement years and are trying to survive on limited, fixed incomes without assets like their own home or retirement savings, there's nowhere else for them to turn."

According to Feeding America’s newly released Map the Meal Gap 2019, Ohio’s food insecurity rate of 14.5 percent is much higher than the national rate (12.5 percent) and the Midwestern average (11.4 percent). Food insecurity is higher among households with children. About 1 in 5 children in Ohio (19.6 percent) live in families that can’t always afford enough food on their own. In several rural counties (Monroe, Meigs, Adams, Vinton, Scioto and Guernsey), that rate is 1 in 4 or higher.

All Ohio SNAP recipients will receive half of their March SNAP benefits on February 22.They will receive the remainder of their March SNAP benefits on their normal issuance date, anywhere from March 2nd to March 20th. We’re grateful that the State of Ohio took this step to help lessen the impact of the federal government shutdown on food insecure Ohioans. Ohio’s foodbanks stand ready as partners with the State to fill nutrition gaps of every kind for the 1 in 3 Ohioans who live in households poor enough to qualify for help from our hunger relief network.