Ohio’s food banks are struggling with huge demand, and were worried about the lack of funding they were seeing in Gov. Mike DeWine’s initial budget proposal. But the House version of the budget is giving them some relief.
12 regional foodbanks and 3600 local pantries, kitchens and other units that will benefit from this money need it, said Lisa Hamler Fugitt with the Ohio Association of Food Banks.
“We've received an additional $15 million per year for the Ohio Food Program and Agriculture clearance program at a time that we desperately needed as demand has gone up and food prices are skyrocketing.”
Hamler Fugitt said the Greater Cleveland Food Bank got an additional $10 million, to help pay for a new larger facility. The 197,000 square food building will serve nearly 350,000 people in six counties. A capital campaign to pay for the facility has raised $56 million, but the expansion is estimated to cost $79 million.
1.5 million Ohioans lost $126 a month in food benefits that had been added because of the pandemic and were ended last month when a new federal law declared the federal COVID emergency is over.
