hunger
Ohio farmers call for help
Ohio farmers and groups representing them say that they need access to foreign labor not just to get their products to market or to ease inflation. They say it’s a matter of national security. For the first time, next year, U.S. agricultural imports are expected to exceed the nation’s exports, according to the U.S. Department […]
Ohio foodbanks get $15 million from the state
Faced with the prospect of a punishing winter, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks is lauding Gov. Mike DeWine’s decision to award them $15 million in unspent federal coronavirus funds to buy protein-rich food for their clients. Supply bottlenecks, increased fuel costs, commodity inflation and a lack of farm labor have strained the foodbanks’ ability to […]
Feds to provide $50M in food assistance to Ohio
Ohio’s foodbanks say they’re desperate as summer is turning to fall. Demand has skyrocketed with increasing food costs at the same time that their resources have evaporated. And with current supply chain disruptions, they need to order food now if they hope to have it when winter comes. And even though the state is sitting […]
Poll: People across the spectrum support immigration rules to keep the food coming
With food prices skyrocketing, many factors have been blamed. They include disrupted exports of grain, fertilizer, and fuel because of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. They also include supply-chain disruptions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the agricultural and food processing sectors have been plagued by the same labor shortages that […]
Is big split between rich and poor making us all poorer? Maybe
It seems as if income inequality would slow the economy. But in a recent survey a big portion of a panel of Ohio economists said… that depends. In the survey of 26 Ohio economists released Monday, 14 agreed that rising inequality in Ohio is slowing economic growth, four disagreed and eight said they were unsure. By […]
“We’re desperately worried about food.” For Ohio foodbanks, a bad situation gets worse.
Ohioans have seen some respite from high fuel costs in recent months. But those who provide food to millions of poor people in the state say their situation is only deteriorating. Global supply-chain problems, labor shortages, the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other mega-trends are all combining to make them worry for the first time that they just won't have enough food for everybody who needs it, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said on Monday.
Going hungry: Pandemic, inflation, supply issues prompt cry for help
As state leaders spend money on other things, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks this week issued an extraordinary plea for assistance, saying many rural foodbanks are rationing food and those in other parts of the state soon will be. From the coronavirus pandemic to supply chain disruptions and inflation, to Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine, […]
With inflation, supply-chain kinks, plight of Ohio food banks grows
For millions of Ohioans, world events are making it harder to fill their pantries and refrigerators, an official who helps oversee the state’s food banks said on Wednesday. Those pressures will only increase pantries’ need for state assistance, she said. The coronavirus pandemic had already put pressure on the state’s food banks as demand increased […]
Senate budget calls for “asset tests” for poor Ohioans seeking food stamps
The Ohio Senate added to its budget proposal a provision requiring the state to cut off food stamp assistance for poor Ohioans if their households save up $2,250 or more. It also imposes a requirement known as “change reporting.” This forces Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program clients to report every fluctuation in income — things like […]
Benefits rollback bill would cost nearly $20 million in red tape, legislative analysts say
A legislative proposal to restrict eligibility for social safety net programs like food stamps or Medicaid would cost nearly $20 million to implement, according to state policy analysts. The Ohio Legislative Service Commission, a nonpartisan arm of the state legislature that evaluates policy proposals, estimated a plan to require photo identification on every Supplemental Nutrition […]
On the front lines of the poverty fight, the struggle for resources continues
On the front lines of the poverty fight, the struggle for resources continues
Agencies helping the poor fear a dreadful new year
The Nov. 3 general election has garnered most of the public attention lately, but officials on Monday warned that the coronavirus pandemic continues to squeeze the growing ranks of low-income Ohioans.