LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — With no new federal farm bill in sight, food bank officials from across the United States are preparing to converge on the nation’s capital to advocate for hunger relief programs.
Representatives from the West Ohio Food Bank will join others affiliated with Feeding America to meet with Ohio lawmakers. Their mission is to remind elected officials that many of the people they represent continue to struggle to put food on the table.
The West Ohio Food Bank plans to emphasize the importance of funding programs such as senior food boxes, which provide critical support for older adults facing food insecurity.
“The economy and things like that, might be looking upward, but we still have a lot of folks struggling in our local communities, and that's one of the reasons why we like to go to DC. We like to go to Columbus, and again, remind our local, state, regional, federal lawmakers about the issues that some are still having,” said Jason Aldrich, communications and public relations manager for the West Ohio Food Bank.
The fly-in is an advocacy effort organized by Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks. The West Ohio Food Bank has participated in several previous fly-ins, representing residents in its 11-county service area and highlighting the ongoing need for federal support amid uncertainty surrounding the next farm bill.
