News & Updates

We strive to be a trusted source of information and expertise to elevate the issues, challenges, and opportunities facing food insecure Ohioans.

Press Releases & Media Statements

Mar 20, 2024

OH food banks overwhelmed one year after emergency SNAP benefits end

ne year after emergency SNAP benefits ended, Ohio food banks said they are struggling with increased grocery costs and record-high numbers of families turning to food pantries for help.

Since the start of the pandemic, households had been receiving on average $90 more per person, per month in SNAP benefits.

Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, explained Ohioans lost $126 million between this March and last, when the expanded benefits expired. She emphasized food banks now are overwhelmed trying to meet the needs of families facing pressure from inflation, resumed student loan payments and higher costs for utilities and rent.

"They have been turning to us, for month over month, for more than a year, at a level that we've never experienced before," Novotny reported. "That is very difficult for us to continue to sustain."

From April through September of last year, pantries served around 1.3 million people a month, up 60% from before the pandemic.

Aug 11, 2023

Two-Day Tour Highlights Farmer and Foodbank Partnerships

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Congressional Offices Tour Urban and Family Farms and Foodbank, Discuss Farm Bill Priorities

Partners from state and local agencies, Ohio foodbanks, and Ohio farmers highlight early success of Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program in Ohio, value of public-private partnerships, and importance of a Farm Bill rooted in food security

Jul 12, 2023

Ohio Foodbanks Leadership Transition

Ohio Association of Foodbanks executive director Lisa Hamler-Fugitt to retire after more than 20 years of leadership; Joree Novotny, long-tenured chief of staff, appointed as new executive director

Media Coverage

Mar 25, 2024

Residents say they will miss Family Dollar store, even though experts say they have limitations

Hundreds of Family Dollar stores are expected to close this year, including at least one in Dayton, and hundreds more could close in the next several years. Ohio is home to more than 400 Family Dollars, including 25 locations in Montgomery County, and some customers say they’d hate to see their local stores shut down.

Customers who shop there and at other Family Dollar locations in Dayton say they sell things they like to eat, such as canned goods, frozen foods, cereals, breads and TV dinners.

Research shows that food is one of the most commonly purchased items at dollar chain stores, but these stores usually do not offer a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and other items that contribute to a healthy, wholesome diet, said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. Dollar stores in some communities pushed out grocery stores that sold a wider variety of fresh, wholesome and higher quality foods but that operated on very thin margins, Novotny said.

Mar 1, 2024

Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank's Harvest for Hunger campaign sets 4.2 million meal goal

Families across the region continue to face a very real threat to their financial and food insecurities — inflation.

The rise in grocery prices, combined with pandemic-related benefits ending, is a major factor in why demand for Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank services reached an all-time high in 2023. More than 3 million visits were made to the network, and there was a 31% increase in people visiting food pantries alone.

It was revealed at its 33rd annual Harvest for Hunger campaign kickoff Friday at the John S. Knight Center that the organization distributed 34.9 million pounds of food last year.

That ongoing need is reflected in this year’s campaign goal, which is to provide the equivalent of 4.2 million meals for the communities served within the food bank’s eight-county service area.

Mar 1, 2024

WIC can’t wait: Hope Lane-Gavin and Melissa Wervey Arnold

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- While pandemic-era enhancements to anti-poverty programs have largely expired, one temporary program expansion, set to be permanent, is now at risk of its first funding shortfall in generations. Due to ongoing food inflation and higher-than-expected enrollment, immediate additional investment by Congress in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is required to keep the program solvent. Without action, WIC is facing a $1 billion shortfall that will adversely impact our state’s most vulnerable families. The longer Congress delays fully funding WIC, the greater the risk that the program will have to absorb substantial cuts.

Publications & Reports

Feb 28, 2024

Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) Report

In 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, or LFPA. The State of Ohio received funds to support LFPA, which has been branded Ohio CAN (Community + Agriculture + Nutrition) in Ohio. The State of Ohio received $13.5 million for round one and for round two, or LFPA Plus, will receive a little over $13 million for a total of $26.5 million over a roughly three-year period. The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program was designed by USDA to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency. LFPA uses non-competitive cooperative agreements to provide up to $900 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funding for state, tribal and territorial governments to purchase foods produced within the state or within 400 miles of the delivery destination to help support local, regional and underserved producers. The cooperative agreements allow the states, tribes and territories to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious, unique to their geographic areas and that meet the needs of the population. In addition to increasing local food consumption, the funds will help build and expand economic opportunity for local and underserved producers. The Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and Ohio Association of Foodbanks engaged Dr. Howard Fleeter and Dr. Jennifer Olejownik to conduct an independent analysis of Ohio CAN’s early outcomes to identify strengths, benefits, challenges, and areas for improvement. This report provides a summary of the key themes and findings they surfaced.

Feb 16, 2024

SNAP Look-Book: Hearing directly from our neighbors across Ohio

In the wake of unprecedented challenges brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks traveled across the state, engaging in insightful interviews with recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These conversations provided a platform for our neighbors to candidly reflect on the effects that the pandemic, inflation, and the current economic landscape are having on their lives here in Ohio. This lookbook emphasizes the experiences of individuals and families one year after the end of SNAP emergency allotments, while being met with the continued increase in food cost.

Nov 7, 2023

Faces on Capitol Square: Lisa Hamler-Fugitt Reflects on Foodbanks Career, Says Ohio Must Address ‘Aging Problem’

Capitol Square is devoid of one of its most visible lobbyists -- for a while, at least.

The decision to step down from her role leading the Ohio Association of Foodbanks (OAF) was “bittersweet,” Lisa Hamler-Fugitt told Hannah News during a wide-ranging interview. (See The Hannah Report, 7/12/23.)

Story originally published in The Hannah Report on November 6, 2023. Copyright 2023 Hannah News Service, Inc.