麻豆影视

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Advocates focused on ending hunger in Ohio gathered at the Statehouse Thursday for the Praying for our Daily Bread Faith Leaders luncheon to聽discuss solutions in the state鈥檚 proposed operating budget.

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks would be funded $39,550,000 a year, as distributed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services under the , but advocates are asking the Senate to increase funding to $50 million per year. The budget is in the hands of the Senate and must be signed by June 30 for it to take effect on July 1, the first day of the new state fiscal year.

鈥淭hings are getting really hard for all of us, but even worse for our most vulnerable and our foodbanks are being called upon to fill the gap,鈥� said Hope Lane-Gavin, the director of nutrition policy and program at Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

About 1.4 million people face hunger in Ohio, including 412,000 children.

鈥淭his should not be a Democrat or Republican issue to make sure people can eat because if we care about economic development, if we care about workforce shortage, how can people do any of that without eating?鈥� asked state Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, D-Westlake.

Bishop Gregory Vaughn Palmer of the Ohio West Area of The United Methodist Church mentioned several gospel passages that showed Jesus鈥� concern for those dealing with food insecurity.

鈥淕od doesn鈥檛 want people to be hungry,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e care about kids. I鈥檓 not suggesting they are the only hungry ones, but they are even more vulnerable because often their voices are not developed yet, not just because of age, but actually because of lack of proper nutrition.鈥�

Senior Food Incentive

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government temporarily expanded its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and older adults saw their monthly SNAP increase to triple digits. But will go back down to the pre-pandemic amount of $23 per month.

Advocates are calling on legislatures to offer a Senior Food Incentive for seniors on SNAP to up their state minimum to $50 a month, instead of $23.

鈥淲e really need it,鈥� Lane-Gavin said. 鈥淗igh inflation has wiped out many gains Ohioans have made.鈥�

School lunches

The House version of the budget added funding for reduced-price-eligible students in Ohio schools and requires the Ohio Department of Education to reimburse school districts so that all school breakfasts and lunches are free for those that fall under the reduced-price eligibility requirements.

This change from the initial executive proposal happened after school nutrition leaders urged legislators to provide more funding to feed children and when identified as eligible for the low-income programs.

鈥淲e need to make sure that no student goes hungry in our schools,鈥� Sweeney said. 鈥淵ou are not learning trigonometry or you鈥檙e not learning how to read if you are hungry.鈥�

Kim Eckhart, interim director of the Children鈥檚 Defense Fund Ohio, said while it would be ideal to have a universal school meal program, an alternative idea would be making breakfast free at schools.

鈥淭hose families that need that, they are going to get to school early if they are hungry,鈥� she said. 鈥淢any children, especially in high school, will just go without food. We want to make sure that is no longer an issue.鈥�

Sweeney said it would cost $26 million in the state鈥檚 budget for every student in Ohio to get a free breakfast at school.

To put that in perspective, she brought up Wednesday鈥檚 controversial

鈥淐omparatively, for what we鈥檙e talking about (free breakfast in schools), it isn鈥檛 that much money,鈥� Sweeney said. 鈥淐learly, it鈥檚 not that much money if we can do an unnecessary election with it.鈥�

When the pandemic first hit, Congress allowed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement child nutrition waivers in March 2020, which allowed schools to be reimbursed at higher rates for serving free food to all students, regardless of family income.

That program expired last summer, causing the number of families struggling with school meal debt to rise, Eckhart said.

Even though the free school meals was through the federal government, she said she would love to see the state government enact something similar.

鈥淲e just want school to be a place where everybody can come around the table and share a meal and there鈥檚 no distinction (between students who have free and reduced lunches and those who don鈥檛),鈥� Eckhart said to a round of applause.

All People鈥檚 Fresh Market

Katelin Hansen, executive minister for United Methodist Church For All People, talked about All People鈥檚 Fresh Market on Columbus鈥� South Side, which provides fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products to households making less than 200% of the federal poverty level 鈥� $27,180 for a one-person household and $55,500 for a four-person household.

All People鈥檚 Fresh Market served about 200 people a week when it first started back in 2012 and today it serves 300-400 people a day, she said.

鈥淓verything we give away is healthy food,鈥� Hansen said. 鈥淓veryone wants to eat healthy food. Everyone wants to live a long life. No one wants to be sick.鈥�

Thursday鈥檚 luncheon was hosted by the Hunger Network in Ohio, the Ohio Council of Churches and the Dominican Sisters of Peace.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Ohio Capital Journal maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor David DeWitt for questions: info@ohiocapitaljournal.com. Follow Ohio Capital Journal on and .

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