Hunger affects the lives of 1 in 7 individuals in our area – including 1 in 5 children who don’t always have access to the food they need to meet their basic needs. Hunger does irreparable harm to people, communities and our state’s economy. For more than 260,000 children, seniors, veterans and low-income working families, the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and our network of hunger-relief partners are their hunger lifelines.
Two state programs, the Ohio Food and Agricultural Clearance Programs, are critical to the health and well-being of Ohioans and provide 25 percent of the food distributed by Ohio's food banks. These programs are a win-win for both farmers and Ohioans facing hunger.
The Ohio Senate is now reviewing the 2020-2021 state budget. It has the opportunity to support the programs that provide nutritious food to our community members. We are asking our senators to increase funding for effective programs by supporting the Comprehensive Approach to Hunger Relief.
This approach:
- Funds the Ohio Food and Agricultural Clearance Programs, which provide fresh produce grown by Ohio farmers and shelf-stable foods to food insecure families through our network of hunger-relief partners.
- Provides funding to help our community partners purchase cooler and freezer equipment to store and distribute this fresh, local, Ohio produce.
- Funds innovative programs that provide meals for Ohio’s food insecure children during the summer months.
- Provides the Ohio Association of Foodbanks with the flexibility to alleviate food insecurity while benefiting and supporting citizens of all ages.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Contact your Ohio State Senator to tell them to support an amendment for increased funding for Ohio's food banks in the budget.
Click here to send a custom email to your Ohio Senator to urge their support for hunger relief. We made it easy to send your email - it only takes a couple of minutes to make a difference.
We need your calls and emails now to prioritize hunger relief in the state budget. Your action today means more nutritious food for struggling families tomorrow.