LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — The West Ohio Food Bank says the need for food assistance in the region is rising quickly as federal SNAP benefits are reduced.
The state of Ohio announced Tuesday that some reduced SNAP benefits will go out this month, but full benefits have been cut by half. The state is still unsure when those funds will be fully available. SNAP benefits were paused on Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown. Nearly 1.5 million Ohioans depend on SNAP, including more than half a million children.
In the West Ohio Food Bank’s service area, about 22,000 households receive food assistance each month. The food bank says it is already seeing more people turning to them for help.
“We’re seeing roughly around 6,000 individuals coming through our partner agencies and our distributions, and that number just continues to increase,” said Tommie Harner, CEO of the West Ohio Food Bank. “We’ve been doing a pre-registration for a distribution we’re doing this upcoming Monday, and so far, there are over 60 new families that have registered to attend.”
Harner said the current need surpasses what the organization saw during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — but with fewer federal and state resources.
“During COVID, we did have a surge, but what we’re seeing now are numbers that are higher than during the height of COVID,” Harner said. “We’re doing this also with less food. We had an overabundance of food donations coming in during COVID. Now we have less food, we don’t have the guards’ assistance, we have our small staff and volunteers, and we’re trying to maintain the higher levels of people needing assistance.”
The West Ohio Food Bank will hold a food distribution Monday, Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration is required, and spots are limited. For more information on how to register, donate, or volunteer, visit wofb.org
