ICYMI: “Ohio’s food banks grappling with high demand that just keeps climbing with economy woes and aid cuts”

ICYMI: "Ohio's food banks grappling with high demand that just keeps climbing with economy woes and aid cuts"

May 26, 2026

"I don't think we can emphasize enough what the impact of changes coming to SNAP could mean for hunger and economic stability in Ohio"

COLUMBUS, OH - Leaders at Ohio food banks are sounding the alarm on what Washington Republicans' budget bill could mean for Ohio families as costs continue to rise across the board and there's an increased demand for food assistance. While Washington Republicans gutted SNAP in order to pay for more tax breaks for corporations and special interests, Ohio food banks are making clear that families could suffer because of it - and the state will be left to foot the bill as the federal government leaves states out to dry to handle the costs of critical food assistance.

Cleveland.com: Ohio's food banks grappling with high demand that just keeps climbing with economy woes and aid cuts

• "What we have been seeing for the last several years is an increase in people coming," Mid-Ohio Food Collective spokesman Mike Hochron said. "It's a tough reality that a lot of our neighbors are one crisis away from not being able to put food on the table."
• Food banks across Ohio say runaway inflation hurt household budgets, but even after it cooled, prices never came back down. Rent remains high. Utility bills and gas costs are climbing.
• Most people think of SNAP as a program that helps low-income Americans buy groceries. But when benefits get cut, the effects don't stop at the checkout line. Food banks fill the gap. Local grocery stores lose revenue. And in rural counties like Adams, where one in five residents receives benefits, that can shake the local economy.
• "I don't think we can emphasize enough what the impact of changes coming to SNAP could mean for hunger and economic stability in Ohio," Hochron said.
• The cuts don't stop with recipients. For the first time, Ohio is also on the hook for a portion of the program's costs.
• Under the new law, the federal government cut its share of Ohio's SNAP administrative costs in half - a gap of about $70 million the state had to fill. The federal share drops again in October, and Ohio will have to find more money to cover it.
• "Republican and Democratic Governors alike are warning they cannot pick up the new cost share coming down the pike," U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, said in an April floor speech. "That means more cuts. More hunger. More harm."

Read more HERE from Cleveland.com on how the impacts of Washington Republicans' budget bill "don't stop at the checkout line," as "food banks fill the gap. Local grocery stores lose revenue. And in rural counties like Adams, where one in five residents receives benefits, that can shake the local economy."

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