Thank you for all your advocacy and support to feed Ohio's hungry!

Thank you for all your advocacy and support to feed Ohio's hungry!

After more than six months of hearings, budget negotiations and more than $3.2 billion dollars in cuts to many of the safety next programs and three one-week interim budgets. On July 17, 2009, Governor Ted Strickland signed Amended Substitute House Bill 1, the 2010 and 2011 State Budget.

The 2010/2011 State budget appropriated $24,000,000 to the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF) in the budget  for the period July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2011, $17, 000, 000 per year. This represents a 40% increase in funding over the 2008/2009 state budget.

OASHF thanks and commends the Ohio House for recognizing the critical need to retain funding for the state’s foodbanks and hunger relief providers. This support increased foodbank funding by $3.5 million per year ($7 million) over the biennium and is greatly appreciated in light of the extraordinary financial challenges the state is facing.

On behalf of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, the 12 regional foodbanks, their 3,000 member charities, and millions of Ohioans served, the Association thanks the Ohio General Assembly and Governor Ted Strickland for their support in this extremely difficult budget cycle.

Fact Sheet

OASHF is acutely aware that this funding won’t even begin to meet the unprecedented demand of our foodbanks. Thus we must remain vigilant and continue our collective advocacy efforts to call on the Governor and members of the Ohio House and Senate to continue to provide funding to ensure that no Ohioans is forced to go hungry.

2009 ACCOMPISHMENTS OFPACP CORE FOOD PROGRAM on state funding of $8,500,000.00

• 7/1/08 through 06/30/09
• OASHF allocated $2,804,714.15 to the Ohio Food Program (by goal factor) and purchased 4,126,223 million pounds at an average cost of $0.68 per pound.
• OASHF allocated $4,368,203.50 and purchased 20,384,098 million pounds of food at an average cost of $0.214 per pound.
• OASHF provided $755,000 to member foodbanks for storage, distribution, and transportation costs.
• OASHF retained $425,000.00 for administrative cost to operate these programs.

F2010/2011 state budget appropriation for Ohio Foodbanks

On July 17, 2009, Governor Ted Strickland signed Amended Substitute House Bill 1, the 2010 and 2011 State Budget

The Ohio General Assembly appropriated $24,000,000 to the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF) in the 2010/2011 state budget (July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2011). This represents a 40% increase in funding over the 2008/2009 state budget.

OASHF’s 2010 program funds will be allocated and accept to achieve the following results:

$4,134,096.00 is designated for the Ohio Food Program (OFP) to purchase 5,741,800 pounds shelf-stable food and protein items. Through the OFP, the OASHF receives bids, awards contracts and distributes food to food banks for distribution to emergency food providers. 
     
$5,167,620.00 is appropriated for the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program (OACP) to purchase an estimated 22,467,913 million pounds of fresh fruits, vegetables and protein items. The OASHF purchases surplus and unmarketable commodities from local farmers and producers at production cost and distributes those commodities to food banks through the OACP.
    
$1,033,524.00 is allocated to foodbanks on goal factor to purchase an estimated 1,215,910 million pounds of protein items, including chicken, eggs, pork and turkey sausage.

$1,064,760.00 will be distributed to Foodbanks to cover their cost associated with storage, transportation and distribution on this food.

$600,000 is designated to the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks to cover the administrative costs associated with the operating these programs.

Now is the time to contact the Leadership of Ohio and tell them how the cuts to health and human services will effect you personally. Contact your local newspaper's - put a face on how these cuts will hurt those who simply can not afford them.

Demand for emergency food assistance has increased by nearly 30 percent, food costs are up by 26 percent and the demand for emergency food assistance is skyrocketing as more Ohioans turn to food pantries and soup kitchens everyday to try and feed themselves and their families.

As the recession in Ohio deepens– we are asking for your leadership and support to ensure that BASIC FOOD NEEDS are of the highest priority in this budget. Please provide sufficient funding to meet our modest and humble request and provide just one dollar per person, per month, served by the emergency assistance network.

By putting a local face to the difficult decisions Ohioans make daily and how the budget cuts will directly effect you, your family and your community, you will make Ohio's elected officials aware of just how critical these programs are!

What we do

OASHF represents 12 foodbanks, which distribute food to nearly 3,000 member charities, including food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and other food assistance organizations, located across Ohio in all 88 counties.

In State Fiscal Year 2008, OASHF distributed more than 97.9 million pounds of food and grocery items through the network, with more than 25.3 million pounds of this food being provided through OFPACP programs.

Who funding serves

More than 1.8 million Ohioans were served through food
pantries from October 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008. Of
those clients served, more than 232,000 were seniors,
and nearly 705,000 were children. Many are employed but cannot make ends meet; one out of three households surveyed have at least one adult who is working. Additionally, more than half of those served are white, with just over four in 10 who are African Americans, and only three percent who are Hispanic.

How funding benefits poverty-stricken Ohio Families

Under this proposal, we estimate that more than 2 million low-income Ohioans will receive nutritious food as a result of this funding; 94 percent of whom have incomes below the poverty level. In addition, more than 38 percent of the individuals served with this food will be children, and almost one-third will be low-income elderly or disabled persons.

The Need For Stable,
Ongoing Funding

Now is not the time to reduce or eliminate funding that provides food assistance to Ohio families. Challenging economic times have led to increases in demand for emergency food assistance and decreases in funding and contributions from a range of sources. Food is a basic necessity that must be ensured for all Ohioans.

If Ohio does not address this critical need for food, evidence of the economic realities that face the hunger relief network will be clear. Some foodbanks and charities will reduce their hours and days of operation. Others will try to cut staff or salaries to make ends meet. Still others will close their doors altogether because they cannot survive.

But the most appalling evidence of all will be found in the households of Ohio’s most vulnerable populations. Hunger, already on the rise in the state, will increase exponentially. There will be no means of feeding those who need it most. Those already in desperate situations will be faced with dire outcomes.

Expanding the state’s investment in programs that have proven results, benefit hungry Ohioans of all ages and provide indirect benefits to farmers, local communities and taxpayers makes good sense and is a fiscally responsible choice to be included in the 2010-11 budget.

The Ohio Food Purchase Agricultural Clearance Program (OFPACP) is the example of how state funding benefits Ohioans. This statewide effort directs shelf stable and protein items, and Ohio’s surplus agricultural products through the network of foodbanks to ensure that Ohio’s families have a source of highly nutritious food. During State Fiscal Year 2008, the $8.5 million provided by the Ohio General Assembly allowed the OASHF to purchase and distribute more than 25.3 million pounds, which provided 19.7 million meals to families and individuals across the Buckeye State.

What will be accomplished from funding

OASHF will be positioned to acquire more than 75 million pounds of highly nutritious protein items, shelf stable foods, fruits, and vegetables, representing more than 60 million meals for hungry Ohioans. In addition, we will purchase at least 4 million pounds of personal care, hygiene and household cleaning products that low income Ohioans need and can’t purchase with Food Stamps.

OASHF will designate a portion of funds to be used for administrative purposes, including partial compensation to foodbanks. The highly effective Capacity Building Grants Program will be re-established, which will allow foodbanks to purchase more than 500 pieces of food service equipment for their member charities and to provide small incentive grants for innovative programs that help address the changing needs of hungry Ohioans, such as Food Stamp Program outreach or nutrition education.

How funding benefits ODJFS and the State

By increasing the overall nutritional intake of hungry Ohioans and providing some stability to these families, the State of Ohio could experience a reduction in expenditures for related programs, such as health care, child care and other welfare programs. The investment also has the potential to improve educational outcomes for the state’s children and reduce malnutrition among our elderly populations.