Press Releases & Media Statements

“Ohio’s foodbanks commend Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton, Ohio Adjutant General MG John C. Harris Jr., and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services for their steadfast support and leadership,” said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. “We welcome these National Guard members as part of our foodbank family and thank them for their dedication and diligence in the weeks ahead. We encourage our clients and community members to join us in welcoming them with gratitude and friendship as they assist us in our important work.”

“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.