More Ohioans Skipping Meals to Pay for Household Expenses, According to New Report

click to enlarge

Photo: Nathalia Rosa, Unsplash

According to a new report, 68% of Ohio Association of Food Banks clients had to choose between paying for food, transportation or gas.

Record-high demand has prompted the Ohio Association of Food Banks to request additional funding in the biennial budget to increase the capacity of food-purchasing programs. Last year, the state's food banks distributed more than 242 million pounds of food and grocery items to residents in need.

Joree Novotny, chief of staff for the Ohio Association of Food Banks, said the funding increase would help alleviate the strain on families forced to make tough choices. Sixty-eight percent of Food Bank clients reported that, in the past two to three months, they've chosen between paying for food, transportation or gas, according to a new report.

"If you can't afford to put gas in your car to get through your shift at work, you're going to lose; you're going to lose wages, might even lose your job, right? So you're going to put the gas in the car. And then when you need to buy groceries the next day, that's where you're going to cut back," Novotny said.

Related

Dollar Stores, Giant Grocery Chains Push Healthy Food out of Reach for Many, Activists Say: “Just five giant retail chains now capture about half of all grocery sales and one company, Walmart, captures one out of every four dollars that Americans spend on groceries.”

More than 8 in 10 Ohio food bank clients reported seeking help with emergency food because of higher food costs. Ohio's Food Program and Agricultural Clearance Program works to procure Ohio-grown fruits and vegetables, shelf-stable items, protein, dairy and other grocery items to pantries across the state.

Novotny added more than half of food bank clients reported having to choose between paying for food, health care or medicine within the past two or three months.

"That is not a choice that anyone should make." Novotny continued. "Both of those are critical toward managing that disease and promoting health and well-being."

She added the Ohio Association of Foodbanks and other hunger-relief groups are urging lawmakers to implement a state-funded minimum SNAP benefit for older adults, which would increase monthly SNAP allotments to $50 per month for the state's 70,000, 60 and older households.

This story was originally published by the Ohio News Connection and is republished here with permission.