Food Programs

The Ohio Food Program makes nutritious, shelf-stable food and protein items available to Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks. Through funding made possible by the State of Ohio, and in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and dozens of vendors and producers, the Ohio Food Program (OFP) provides millions of pounds of center-of-the-plate foods to hungry Ohio households each year. It provides a vital supplement to products available through federal programs like The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which normally directs only certain commodities in surplus to the charitable hunger relief network. The association receives bids, awards contracts, and distributes purchased food to member foodbanks, which in turn distribute that food throughout Ohio.

To learn more about recent outcomes of the Ohio Food Program, view our latest annual report. If you are a vendor or producer and are interested in learning more about how you can participate with OFP, please contact Erin Wrigh at erin@ohiofoodbanks.org.

The Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program (OACP) directs surplus or unmarketable agricultural products from nearly 100 Ohio farmers, growers and producers to Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks. The program provides tens of millions of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to hungry Ohio households each year and is funded by the State of Ohio in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. This program, which provides some of the most nutritious food available through the emergency hunger relief network at just pennies on the pound, also prevents unnecessary waste at Ohio farms and supports local agricultural jobs. 

To learn more about recent outcomes of the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program, view our latest annual report. If you are a farmer, grower or producer and are interested in learning more about how you can participate with OACP, please contact Erin Wright at erin@ohiofoodbanks.org. 

The USDA announced funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Program through cooperative agreements in 2022. This funding will connect local, historically underrepresented or socially disadvantaged producers with our foodbank network, directing locally grown, raised, and produced foods to food insecure Ohioans while sustaining and expanding local agricultural supply chains.

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks is proud to be lead partners with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, and the Ohio Department of Education on executing Ohio's LFPA - Ohio CAN (Community + Agriculture + Nutrition). To learn more about Ohio CAN, visit the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Ohio CAN web page. You can contact Alexis Huber-Marcic on our team for more information at ahuber@ohiofoodbanks.org.