Second Harvest Food Bank Seeks Government Funding to Help Supply Soup Kitchen

Last year, Second Harvest Food Bank in northcentral Ohio saw a 32 percent increase in food bank visits.

A recent study by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks shows this is a trend that is occurring not only locally, but across the state of Ohio.

Second Harvest, which serves Lorain, Huron, Erie and Crawford counties, has been actively working to pass specific legislation and allocate government funds to address this issue.

There are 12 food banks in Ohio that are members of the Ohio Association of Food Banks (OAF).

The survey found that many residents say they have to choose between buying food and paying other basic household expenses such as transportation, housing, medicines and utilities.

Funding Request

Julie Chase-Morefield, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank in northcentral Ohio, said her agency has distributed about 1 million more pounds of food to its clients than last year, but the need is still growing.

“We must continue to serve our neighbors and create pathways with other organizations to find solutions that will help us make the difficult decisions our community faces,” Chase-Morefield said.

After more than a year of above-average inflation and rising costs for food and other necessities, and after pandemic-era Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits expired in March 2023, Ohioans are visiting Ohio’s network of food banks at record rates, according to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, which commissioned the study.

“There are two different areas that we’re working on — one on the federal side and one on the state side,” Chase-Morefield explained. “Going into this year’s biennial budget, we have a request to the state where we’re going to ask for $50 million a year, and those dollars not only go back into providing food to families that are struggling with food insecurity, but the best part of this program is how much we partner with farmers and growers.

“In the state of Ohio, we can leverage those dollars to work with apple orchards and peach orchards, so we can work with all of these amazing farmers and growers and still invest the money back into our economy. Then we can help get these amazing products to our families that we serve and we can provide these really healthy foods. It’s a wonderful and amazing program.”

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks says legislative support is needed at the state and federal levels to meet the growing needs of Ohio food banks.

As Ohio works on its two-year budget and the U.S. Congress works to reauthorize the Farm Bill, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks says it is imperative to include funding and safeguards to protect and further strengthen federal and state food programs.

Ohio’s hunger relief organization has asked the state to invest $50 million annually in the 2026-27 biennium budget to support state-funded food programs.

The investment will enable the statewide network to distribute tens of millions of pounds of nutritious, healthy food to food-insecure families in all 88 counties in Ohio, officials said.

The funds will also be used to purchase essential non-food household items such as shampoo, toothpaste, diapers and toilet paper.

Strengthening resources

Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, says this funding will allow the Ohio Association of Foodbanks to direct critical state resources to those who need them most, ensuring Ohio families have food on their tables, supporting children’s health and readiness for school, protecting the well-being of older Ohioans and leading the way in anti-hunger and pro-agriculture initiatives across the state.

Novotny says the Ohio Association of Foodbanks and other advocates and stakeholders are calling on the state to invest in a state-funded minimum SNAP benefit for seniors, commit to creating hunger-free campuses statewide and provide universal school meals for all students.

“In addition, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks joins Feeding America and food banks across the country in imploring Congress to strengthen the nation’s commitment to combating hunger by supporting key anti-hunger programs in the Farm Bill, including funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and SNAP,” Novotny said. “Because demand for food at food banks remains high, a reliable and continuous stream of TEFAP food is essential.

“(The Emergency Food Assistance Program) also has a strong impact on the agricultural economy. (Emergency Food Assistance Program) purchases give American growers and producers an average of 27 cents on the dollar.

“In comparison, only about 16 cents of every retail dollar for food goes back to farmers. Lawmakers must increase TEFAP’s baseline funding to $960 million annually indexed to inflation for TEFAP food purchases.

“Congress must also appropriate $200 million per year in TEFAP funds for warehousing and distribution and $15 million per year in TEFAP infrastructure grants.”

The group also says the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program, known as Ohio CAN (Community Agriculture and Nutrition), needs immediate and ongoing funding.

The program was designed by USDA to maintain and improve the resilience of the food and agricultural supply chain.

Cooperative agreements allow states, tribes and territories to source and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious, unique to their geographic areas and meet the needs of their populations.

Chase-Morefield said she reports the Farm Bill funds likely won’t be allocated until 2025.

“There are so many of our programs that are funded through the Farm Bill,” she said. “One of them is our senior food box program, so that’s a supplemental food program that we receive funding for every month.

“We serve about 1,800 to 1,900 low-income seniors, so this is a critical program when you consider how many seniors are really struggling and on the edge. We also have our food program that is under the Farm Bill, but the money that is available to Ohioans is set to expire in mid-2025.”

“So we hope that this program becomes a permanent part of the Farm Bill because we really see it as a gap filler. It’s just an amazing program that can help incubate some of these amazing farmers, growers and producers so that they can eventually grow their businesses to such a large size, so we want to see that continue in this bill.”

Novotny explained that without this action to extend funding, Ohio will not have the funds to continue the Local Food Purchase Assistance program beyond June 2025.

“As our state and federal leaders consider the biennial budget and Farm Bill, it is critical that they prioritize robust funding and safeguards to support state-funded food programs,” she said. “Investing $50 million annually in Ohio’s Hunger Relief Network will be a critical step to address growing demand and ensure every family has access to essential food and household supplies.”

On the local level, Second Harvest is actively involved by participating in local county fairs, encouraging residents to call their government representatives, and hosting a series of community roundtables in each county starting in October.