Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks Blog

Improving child nutrition when school's out

2012-02-13T12:31:00.000-05:00

Although thousands of children depend on nutritious free and reduced-price meals and snacks at school for nine months out of the year, only a fraction of eligible children in Ohio last year participated in a Summer Food Service Program, the federal program that helps children get the nutrition they need throughout the summer months. A lack of adequate nutrition at any time can be extraordinarily damaging to a child’s health, growth, development and their ability to succeed during the school year.

OASHF recently hosted a summit with SFSP providers and partners. More details about the Summit are in our news release, or check out the articles and video below for coverage of the event.

Officials look for ways to boost student use of free summer meal plans

Kids get hungry in the summer, too. But when school lets out, the number of youngsters taking advantage of government-paid free-meal programs drops by about 80 percent. (Click here to read the story in the Columbus Dispatch.)

State Looks to Help More Kids with Food Programs

A summit held on Monday brought Ohio leaders together to talk about how to make sure low income children get nutritional help all year, not just when school is open. (Click here to watch the video from the Ohio News Network.)

Ohio Benefit Bank Tax Clinic Map

2012-01-20T14:47:00.001-05:00

Tax season is upon us! Ohioans with household incomes under $60,000 can get help filing income taxes through The Ohio Benefit Bank, a program of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks. To find free tax assistance near you, use this map to search for the nearest Ohio Benefit Bank site or tax clinic event, or call 1-800-648-1176 or visit www.ohiobenefits.org for more information.

View http://batchgeo.com/map/7f9d8bb52b7658fe78b5235e5c4cc2c6">TaxTax"> referrals 2012 in a full screen map

Ohioans Can File Taxes for Free Using The Ohio Benefit Bank

2012-01-09T16:54:00.001-05:00

Tax season is quickly approaching and thousands of Ohioans will soon begin filing to ensure they receive their refunds quickly. To help taxpayers save a little extra money this year, the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks is once again helping moderate- and low-income Ohioans obtain free federal and state income tax assistance, while also identifying if they are eligible for other benefit programs.

To file your taxes online, or to locate an Ohio Benefit Bank counselor in your area to assist you for free, visit www.ohiobenefits.org or call 1-800-648-1176.

The Ohio Benefit Bank also helps taxpayers claim tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit.

“At least one in every four taxpayers eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit fails to claim the credit,” said Jason Elchert, OASHF deputy director. “The EITC could put more than $5,800 into the pockets of eligible Ohio taxpayers. This is money that taxpayers can use now to make their lives a little easier or money they can put away for a rainy day.”

Read more: http://admin.oashf.org/uploads/news/2012_Opening_of_Tax_Season_Release.pdf

RSVP TODAY FOR THE OHIO SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM SUMMIT!

2012-01-05T17:59:00.001-05:00

It's never too early to getready for Summer! Right now is a great time to learn more about the Summer FoodService Program (SFSP), a federally funded nutrition program for children overthe summer months, when school meals are not available.

The Ohio Association ofSecond Harvest Foodbanks and the Ohio Department of Education invite you tojoin us at the upcoming SFSP Summit this month!

The event will be held onMonday, January 30, 2012 at the Mid-OhioFoodbank in Grove City from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm.

RSVPtoday by clicking here.

The Summit is for SFSPSponsors and organizations that are interested in learning more about the SFSPand how to participate in their community. The summit will provide a greatopportunity to network, share best practices and hear from the experts, includingUnited States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon on howto start or expand your program!

While child nutrition programs areavailable during the school year, many children go hungry during the summermonths. The Summer Food Service Program, which was established to providechildren ages 1-18 breakfast, lunch, or a snack during the summer months,operates out of schools, summer camps, park and recreation centers, andchurches and community centers in Ohio.

Join us on January 30th to learn moreabout how you can become involved in the Summer Food Service Program in yourcommunity!

Food Stamps: the safety net that deserves its name

2012-01-02T22:47:00.000-05:00

A recent article written by Lizzy Ratner appeared in The Nation early this month and it explores "the food stamp system: decaying, inundated and one of the most unexpectedly effective safety net programs still standing." Read the article here: http://www.thenation.com/article/165169/food-stamps-safety-net-deserves-its-name

We Are Ohio provides OASHF with $10,000 to help fight hunger

2011-12-20T16:55:00.000-05:00

At a time when the number of Ohioans turning to Ohio's emergency food assistance network continues to rise, charitable contributions, such as the $10,000 received from We Are Ohio, have a huge impact in the fight against hunger. Read more about this in our press release on the OASHF website: http://admin.oashf.org/uploads/news/We_are_Ohio_Press_Statement.pdf

We can't afford hunger in Ohio

2011-11-18T11:13:00.001-05:00

Hunger cost Ohio more than $6.97 billion in 2010. But Ohio can make a difference in the debate on how we prevent hunger-related health care costs, lost educational achievement and worker productivity.

We need YOUR VOICE today to make an impact. The Super Committee's deadline to come up with $1.2 trillion in cuts or revenues is this Monday, November 21st.

Call Senator Portman and your congressperson TODAY if you care about the cost of hunger and the National Service members who give a year of their life to end hunger and poverty in your community.

Tell them to protect National Service programs and the nutrition safety net including SNAP/food stamps, CSFP, TEFAP in Super Committee deliberations.

Any cuts to these programs would be devastating, at a time when a record one in six Ohioans are facing hunger and millions of workers have lost their jobs, their homes, and have seen their families' economic security slip away.

Private charity plays a critical role, but Ohio's hunger relief network is stretched dangerously thin meeting relentless demand. We need our federal partners to remain strong.

Action: Call Senator Portman at (800) 205-6446 NOW and urge him to fully fund nutrition assistance and National Service programs during debt ceiling negotiations. Call your Congressperson (find your representative's number here) and tell them to protect the nutrition safety net and National Service programs.

Your calls are making a difference, but continued pressure is needed if we hope to protect these critical programs! Share this alert with your colleagues, supporters and friends. Thank you for caring! Thank you for calling!

Fighting hunger in Adams, Brown and Highland counties

2011-11-16T10:15:00.000-05:00

More than 40 people gathered for a Local Hunger Summit on Friday, October 7th at the South Campus of Southern State Community College. Elected officials and staff members from local, state and federal governments, who were in the audience, heard from a panel of service providers and residents from Adams, Brown and Highland Counties.

Pastor Don Young from Christians Across America spoke of the need for food assistance, telling a story of an elderly couple sharing a can of dog food because they were out of food and out of money.

“There are so many families that are just one or two weeks away from being out of food,” said Chuck Aurigema from Area 937 Ministries, echoing how hunger can be hidden but still exist in local communities. “Government, community and business must come together to meet the need”

One example of how the community has responded is Hope Christian Alliance, an alliance of all of the food pantries and soup kitchens in Highland County.

“We are just trying to hold on until we get some jobs down here,” said Curtis Pegram, a founding member of the Alliance. Pegram described how the community is doing everything it can, including planting acres of land with produce to distribute to hungry families.

But it is not enough, he said.

“The food pantry is not meant to be the only source of food” for hungry families, said Pat Mawhinney, Rural Agency Representative for Freestore Foodbank. Mawhinney described increased demand and need in the area, and raised concerns about threats to federal nutrition programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formally known as Food Stamps.

Other residents shared stories of struggle in the area.

Dee Wright works for Bright Local Schools. The school is seeing more children misbehaving because of economic issues hitting home, including more children stealing food from the lunch line for hungry siblings at home. While the school tries to have programs for needy families, demand often is larger than supply.

“How do we choose which children get help?” asked Wright.

Kathy Grooms operates a Head Start program in Adams County, where she witnesses children eating on Friday afternoon. “They stuff their tummies, knowing that there will be no food” for the weekend, she said.

Julie Wise from the Highland County Community Action Program spoke of seniors who were not eating over the weekend when congregate meals were not served. Wise raised concerns about cuts to the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG), which funds programs for senior nutrition in Highland county. Cuts to CSBG would mean that fewer older Ohioans in Highland County would be able to get meals.

Rhonda Holbrook from the Adams Brown Counties Economic Opportunities spoke of a man who had asked for food assistance and admitted that he had not had the insulin that he needed to manage his diabetes for two weeks.

“This is what is happening,” stated Jennifer Howland from the Highland District hospital. She shared a story of a patient who was on chemotherapy, but was living in a trailer without running water or electricity.

These are just a few examples of the costs of hunger that we are already paying for, said Nora Nees, Director of Child and Senior Nutrition at the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks. She referred to a recent study that quantified the costs of hunger. On average, each household pays $1,548 for the costs of hunger including increased medical costs, decreased worker productivity and the cost of private charity, each year.

Lisa Tumbleson-Davis from the Adams Brown Counties Economic Opportunities spoke about the need for free tax services and application assistance for individuals in the local community. “People do not want to have to ask for help,” Tumbleson-Davis stated, but with The Ohio Benefit Bank™, Tumbleson-Davis and other community members can assist families in free tax filing and private benefits applications.

Teresa Carr from the Adams County Senior Citizen’s Council spoke about her concern for her local community, “I thought this would be a great place to raise my kids,” she stated. Carr was concerned about the number of older adults who need utility assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LiHEAP, and the vulnerability of those programs in the federal budget. Carr also spoke of older Ohioans who were at risk of losing their homes to pay for medical bills, “they have to give up so much just to survive.”

Ralph Jennings, Brown County Commissioner thanked the audience for attending and speaking out – stating that the summit was an example of how to communicate with elected officials. Representative Danny Bubp from Ohio’s 88th House district recognized the need and challenges facing the local community, including unemployment and declining incomes. Danielle Nameth, a representative from Senator Sherrod Brown’s office was appreciative of the work of the individuals and agencies at the summit and spoke of the Senator’s support for emergency food programs, “It’s not spending, it’s an investment” stated Nameth. Also present to listen to the local community was Stephen Carraway, from Congresswoman Jean Schmidt’s office.

Will Petrik from Advocates for Ohio’s Future ended the event with several ways for participants to get involved, including signing a Joint Memorandum, participating in a Story Banking project, Ohio Speaks, or joining Advocates for Ohio’s Future, a broad based coalition of health and human services providers.

The event was previewed in the Highland County Press: http://highlandcountypress.com/Main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=74&ArticleID=9842

Couple Organizes Distribution for Huron County Residents

2011-10-13T18:15:00.001-04:00

When the Ohio Benefit Bank Mobile Express team was in Huron County last month, they met a wonderful couple, Dennis and Rose Jaeckin, from the Plymouth-Shiloh food pantry. The couple organized a food distribution for Huron County residents.
Read the story here: http://obbmobileexpress.blogspot.com/2011/08/couple-organizes-distribution-for-huron.html

Tell your congressperson to protect anti-hunger programs!

2011-10-12T17:35:00.000-04:00

October 14 is the deadline for Committees to provide recommendations to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction (the Supercommittee), but right now the political threats and opportunities are multiple and ongoing, and so we must continue our steady drumbeat about protecting anti-hunger programs at every possible opportunity.

Because the Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill was significantly better than the House version, it is important we continue to register our support right now to get the best possible outcome.

Use our toll free number to help us track our impact. Just dial 1-877-698-8228 to be connected directly to both of your senators.

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks urges Senator Brown and Senator Portman to vote for passage of the Senate's FY2012 Agriculture Appropriations legislation when it comes to the Senate floor in the coming weeks and to oppose any amendments that would strip funding from valuable food assistance programs.
Our foodbank and food pantries ability to serve our community is at stake. This bill funds programs such as the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) which are critical to addressing hunger in low-income families all across the state.
Hunger is a real problem in Ohio. With unemployment stuck above 9% nationally and millions of families struggling to find work or working for reduced wages, the need for food assistance in our community remains incredibly high. Protecting anti-hunger programs throughout the budget process is critical to reducing hunger in our state.
One out of every four children in Ohio are hungry - They cannot wait while politicians debate.

Join OASHF in signing this federal sign-on letter

2011-10-12T11:58:00.000-04:00

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks has signed on to a Federal Sign-On Letter and we are helping to circulate the letter and build support across Ohio.

Will you help us send a message to Ohio's Congressional delegation about the federal budget by signing on here?

The goal of the letter is to strengthen the resolve of Senator Portman and other key members of Ohio's Congressional delegation to advocate for a deficit-reduction plan that does not increase poverty or income inequality.

Please sign on now.

Advocates for Ohio's Future will deliver the letter to Senator Portman and the rest of Ohio's Congressional delegation. It is important that they hear from organizations in Ohio that cutting major health, human service, and early care & education programs that serve the most vulnerable is not the answer to the nation's budget problems.

If you are not in a position to speak on behalf of your organization, you can help by sharing this with your Executive Director and encouraging your organization to act now.

You can also help by forwarding this opportunity to agencies and organizations you work with locally and across Ohio.

Thank you for lending your name to build our strength and our voice.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign and Logan Counties Launch Mobile Food Pantry

2011-09-15T14:55:00.000-04:00

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign and Logan Counties on Tuesday launched a mobile food pantry. Check out this story and photo on the Ohio Benefit Bank central region blog:

OBBservations in Central Ohio: Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign and Logan Counties Launch Mobile Food Pantry

New data show 16.4 percent of Ohio households struggling with hunger

2011-09-08T09:44:00.000-04:00

OASHF Urges Congress to Protect Federal Nutrition Programs during Deficit Negotiations

COLUMBUS-- One in six households in Ohio struggled with hunger on average in the years 2008-2010, according to new data released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its annual report on food insecurity. Nationally, more than 48.8 million people (16.1%) lived in households that were food insecure in 2010 –up from 36.2 million in 2007. In 2010, nationally, 32.6 million adults and 16.2 million children faced a daily risk of hunger.

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF) noted that the Ohio number released today covers the three years during the heart of the recession. The rate is well above the 12.6 percent for the years 2003 to 2005, demonstrating the downturn’s depth and impact on Ohio.

Among the 16.4 percent of households in Ohio considered to be food insecure during the 2008-2010 period, 6.6 percent were considered to have “very low food security.” People that fall into this USDA category had more severe problems, experiencing deeper hunger and cutting back or skipping meals on a more frequent basis for both adults and children. From 2003 to 2005 the percentage of Ohioans considered to have “very low food security” was 3.8 percent.

“We continue to see evidence of the struggles facing too many people in our state. Congress must support job creation while protecting the federal nutrition programs and other parts of our nation’s safety net against deficit cutting measures,” said OASHF executive director, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt. “Weakening these programs would cause irreparable harm to low-income people in Ohio and across the nation.”

The number of Ohioans in need of help and turning to Ohio’s emergency food assistance network, comprised of Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks and their more than 3,300 member agencies is viewed as a sign of the pain being felt throughout Ohio by slow turnaround of our nation’s economy. Over the last three months, nearly two million Ohioans were served throughout the emergency food pantries, with 35 percent of those being children and 14 percent being adults over the age of 60, members of our greatest generation.

At the same time, as of June 2011, 15.3 percent of all Ohioans were in receipt of SNAP/Food Assistance formally known as Food Stamps, a 64.5 percent increase since June 2006. Over the course of the last five years, Ohioans have been left to cope with the loss of employment, increasing wage stagnation and a slow economic recovery, felt both in Ohio and across the nation.

“With more than 1.767 million of Ohio’s total population of 11.542 million residents in receipt of SNAP/ Food Assistance as of June 2011, programs that are available to help in a person’s time of need are working and need to continue. Millions of Americans continue to struggle to put food on the table. It is time to strengthen, not weaken the nation’s safety net,” said Hamler-Fugitt. “There’s a reason that every bipartisan deficit reduction plan proposed over the past year – including those from Simpson-Bowles Commission and the Gang of Six – has made sure to keep these programs intact and protected from cuts.”

About the USDA Report
Since 1995, the United States Department of Agriculture, using data from surveys conducted annually by the Census Bureau, has released estimates of the number of people in households that are food insecure. Food insecure households are those that are not able to afford an adequate diet at all times in the past 12 months. The report also includes food insecurity rates for each state, but for states it uses three-year averages to give a better estimate of the number of households experiencing food insecurity. Experts agree that the Census/USDA measure of food insecurity is a conservative one, with the result that only households experiencing substantial food insecurity are so classified.

A year you won't forget

2011-09-01T17:53:00.000-04:00

OASHF is currently accepting applications for AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) members to start in November. VISTAs, who are the domestic counterparts to overseas Peace Corps volunteers, are passionate and enthusiastic individuals who dedicate a year of their lives to fighting poverty here at home.

Our SHARECorps program will be placing up to 30 VISTA members across Ohio, focusing on alleviating hunger and poverty by building the capacity of local nonprofit organizations. To search for our available positions and to apply, visit www.americorps.gov, but first, go to http://www.oashf.org/docs/programs/AmeriCorps_Application_Instructions.pdf and check out the instructions for finding OASHF positions on the AmeriCorps website.

One lucky VISTA will be based here, in the OASHF office downtown Columbus. We are seeking a Community Organizer, who will work with the Ohio Benefit Bank sites in central Ohio to increase the financial security of low-income community members by assisting them in accessing public benefits and tax credits and by increasing financial literacy. A complete description is here:
Central Ohio AmeriCorps VISTA

For questions about the VISTA positions, contact VISTA Leader Alesha Rademan at 614-221-4336 x253 or arademan@oashf.org.

Older Ohioans struggle with hunger at alarming rate

2011-09-01T15:58:00.000-04:00

A new report, “Food Insecurity Among Older Adults, released this week by the AARP Foundation in partnership with the University Kentucky, examines hunger risk for older adults.

According to the study, hunger for this population - jumped almost 80 percent since 2001, with more than 9 percent of older Americans considered at risk for hunger in 2009. Ohio ranks 10th in the nation for the percentage of those ages 50 to 59 at risk of hunger (10.41 percent).

"Food Insecurity Among Older Adults" is the first report to examine the youngest of the baby boomers -- those between the ages of 50 and 59. This group faces the unusual challenge of being too young for Social Security and Medicare and too old for aid that's allotted for people with children. The slumping economy has played a major role in the spike, as employment for this population is harder to secure. In 2009, 4.9 million in this age group were at risk for hunger, a 38 percent increase from two years earlier. The report also found that food insecurity has a negative impact on broader health outcomes, limiting this group’s ability to function independently by increasing the aging process an average of 14 years.

“Older Ohioans are facing unprecedented barriers in their lives,” said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, OASHF executive director.

“At a time when older Ohioans should be able to contribute to the workforce or enjoy the rewards of a long life of work, they are instead struggling to find where their next meal is coming from. We must do all that we can to ensure programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Food Stamps (SNAP), Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) are strengthened as more and more Ohioans, of all ages and widening income brackets, find themselves in need.”

Programs that provide emergency food for older Ohioans, like many other safety net programs, are at risk of reduced funding as the federal budget is examined and the Special Joint Committee to Congress looks at reshaping the nation’s spending.

“We cannot afford to let our hungry go without. The cost on our society if we do not invest money today in emergency food programs such as TEFAP, CSFP, and EFSP will be measured in skyrocketing future healthcare costs,” said Hamler-Fugitt.

Though the risk is on the rise, this is the first year in his administration that President Obama failed to propose additional funding for nutrition programs for older Americans.
Learn more and view the entire “Food Insecurity Among Older Americans” study: www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/aarp_foundation/pdf_2011/AARPFoundation_HungerReport_2011.pdf

30 Days in September, 30 ways to fight hunger in Ohio

2011-09-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

September is Hunger Action Month!

Ohio's foodbanks have organized events, volunteer opportunities, and ways for you to help and get involved in fighting hunger in our communities. You can get ideas for how to help fight hunger every day this month with your foodbank's Hunger Action Month calendar.

To find out which of Ohio's foodbanks serves your county, check out this map on the OASHF website.

New study shows 26.5% of Ohio children live at risk of hunger

2011-08-27T16:35:00.000-04:00

Map the Meal Gap Child Food Insecurity 2011: Data Available for the First Time by County

COLUMBUS – The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, released a new study this week which reveals in Ohio 26.5 percent of children under the age of 18 are struggling with hunger (some 731,040 children).

The study, “Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity 2011,” also reveals that there are children struggling with hunger in every county in America. Nationally, while one in six Americans overall is food insecure, the rate for children is much higher: nearly one in four children is food insecure.

“The number of children who are at risk of hunger is startling to many individuals, but this number comes as no surprise to those involved in Ohio’s emergency food assistance network. At a time when more and more parents are finding themselves out of work and stretching what little resources they have left to make ends meet, children are feeling the effects of our state’s depleted economy. We must stand up for our state’s most vulnerable populations, especially Ohio’s children, and ensure that the resources necessary to feed our future are available," said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, OASHF executive director.

The following data for Ohio is reported in the study and can be viewed on an interactive map on Feeding America's website:
- 26.5 percent of children in Ohio are food insecure.
- 60 percent of food insecure children in Ohio live in a household with incomes below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, meaning that they and their families could be eligible for help, including federal child nutrition programs.
- 40 percent of food insecure children in Ohio live in a household with incomes above 185 percent of the federal poverty level, meaning that they are not eligible for assistance from federal child nutrition programs. The only programs available to serve these children and their families are the emergency food assistance network and state funded food programs, operated by OASHF and Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks.

An executive summary of the report can be found at: http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-studies/map-the-meal-gap/map-executive-summary.aspx

The study is an important tool because it provides critical information for developing strategies to alleviate child hunger. Throughout Ohio, the percentage of food insecurity among children ranges from below one in five in Delaware County (19.4 percent) to more than one in three in Pike County (38.5 percent)
By providing additional details about the face of child food insecurity at the county level, the study will enable food banks, the community based agencies they serve and policy makers to redefine approaches in addressing needs of hungry children and their families and develop more effective policy solutions.

This research is supported by ConAgra Foods Foundation. The Foundation funded this research with the goal of advancing the collective understanding of child hunger in America, so that resources at the local and national level could be better leveraged to help children and families in need.

The research is based on “Map the Meal Gap 2011: Food Insecurity Estimates at the County Level,” supported by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Nielsen.

For seniors, box of food makes a big difference in staying healthy

2011-08-18T18:03:00.002-04:00

At the West Ohio Food Bank in Lima, we had the pleasure of meeting Kitty Rolston this week, a senior who relies on the box of food she gets each month through the Commodities Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Kitty spoke to Lima news station WLIO on Tuesday about the program.

"I know it doesn't look like it's a whole whole bunch, but it gives you enough meals that I can put that (money) forth to buy my prescriptions," Rolston said, adding that without the box she would struggle to pay for insulin and might not have enough money for prescriptions she needs.

The news story focused on the local impact of proposed federal budget cuts. According to West Ohio Food Bank CEO Bambi Markham, 1,600 seniors receive a monthly box of food from the foodbank, which serves 11 counties. Proposed cuts would immediately eliminate 322 seniors from the program, which already has a long waiting list of income-eligible seniors.

To learn more about how the proposed cuts will affect food programs in Ohio, check out this report: Ohio Impact of H.R. 2112. Visit the Senior Nutrition Programs page on OASHF's website to learn more about the work Ohio's foodbanks are doing to fight senior hunger and how you can get involved.

Foodbank director says food program cuts ultimately cost more

2011-08-18T12:09:00.000-04:00

In a letter to the editor published in the Columbus Dispatch today, Mid-Ohio Foodbank President Matt Habash warns against proposed funding cuts to federal nutrition programs such as the Commodities Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), pointing out that "the need to care for these at-risk neighbors won't go away."

The CSFP, which provides a monthly box of food to eligible low-income seniors, helps more than 20,400 Ohioans, with thousands more eligible seniors on the waiting lists. The cuts being considered would immediately remove some 4,500 seniors from the program. To learn more about how the proposed cuts will affect food programs in Ohio, check out this report: Ohio Impact of H.R. 2112.

"Food insecurity among seniors exacerbates disease and increases disability, inflating health-care expenditures associated with longer hospital or nursing-home stays. In short, these costs adversely impact other taxpayer-funded programs such as Medicaid, putting even more burden on working Ohioans," Habash wrote.

To read the letter on the Columbus Dispatch website and share your thoughts, click here.
Visit the Senior Nutrition Programs page on OASHF's website to learn more about the work Ohio's foodbanks are doing to fight senior hunger and how you can get involved.

Homeless children get lessons in health

2011-08-13T15:24:00.000-04:00

AmeriCorps VISTA member Beth Griffith-Niemann speaks with WLWT Channel 5 in Cincinnati about the summer camp program being conducted by Faces Without Places for homeless children. During the Health Fair, children learned about healthy living, healthy eating and fire prevention. Beth serves at Faces Without Places through OASHF's SHARECorps program. Click here to watch the video on WLWT's website.

One in four Ohio Households with Children Reporting Food Hardship

2011-08-11T09:48:00.000-04:00

This just in from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC): More than 26.3 percent of households with children in Ohio reported they suffered from "food hardship" (an inability to afford enough food) in 2009-2010.

FRAC announced the numbers in the latest report in its “Food Hardship in America" series, which analyzes data that were collected by Gallup and provided to FRAC. FRAC has analyzed responses to the question: “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?”

Some food hardship details for Ohio:

•In 2009-2010, 26.3 percent of households with children in Ohio said they were unable to afford enough food. The food hardship rate for households without children was 16.6 percent.

•All but two congressional districts in Ohio had more than one in four households with children reporting food hardship in 2008-2010.

Ohio Food Hardship 2009-2010:

National Rank: 20th

Households with children 26.3%

Households without children 16.6%

"These data demonstrate...that this is not the time to make our safety net weaker," said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, director Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, "and Congress must ensure that all deficit negotiations protect nutrition programs and other parts of the safety net that help low-income people.”

The data were gathered as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project, which has interviewed more than one million households since January 2008.

In 16 of Ohio’s 18 Congressional districts at least one in four households with children answered “yes” to the question: “Were their times over the past year when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?”

Find out more at FRAC’s website http://frac.org/pdf/aug2011_food_hardship_report_children.pdf

Find out more at OASHF’s website: http://admin.oashf.org/uploads/news/Food_Hardship_2011_Release_081111.pdf

Telling Ohio's Story

2011-07-21T07:58:00.000-04:00

When the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks was fortunate enough to visit with key members of the leadership staff at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), including CEO Robert Velasco II, we took the opportunity to tell them about not only our history with national service, but our gratitude for the contributions it has made to our great state.

CNCS CEO Robert Velasco II, Director of Senior Corps Erwin Tan, MD, and CNCS Chief of Field Operations Mike Berning toured one of our member host sites, SON Ministries in Hilliard, OH, during their July 19 visit. They were joined by Ben Famous, Central Ohio Regional Representative for the Office of Senator Sherrod Brown, Sarah Brady, CNCS State Program Specialist in Ohio, as well as members of the OASHF leadership team.

Following a round table discussion about best practices for monitoring and compliance, independent program evaluation, and leveraging additional private and public resources, those in attendance toured the Summer Food Service Program operated by SON Ministries. Participating neighborhood children are engaged in fun, educational activities in a safe environment, while also benefiting from a free healthy, nutritious lunch.

Mr. Velasco took a moment to don sanitary gloves and pass out the delicious lunches of turkey wraps, plums, broccoli, and chocolate milk out to participating children. Thanks to the help of VISTA Summer Associates, the kids at the Hilliard Free Summer Lunch program, as well as at many other programs across the state, are able to stay safe, healthy, and well-fed throughout their summer vacations.

Nowhere Else to Turn

2011-06-27T10:29:00.000-04:00

In a guest column in the Dayton Daily News, Shared Harvest Foodbank executive director Tina Osso responded to accusations made in a recent article surrounding fraud in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

As she points out in her commentary, "The government’s Food and Nutrition Service estimates indicate that the national rate of food stamp trafficking declined from about 3.8 cents per dollar of benefits redeemed in 1993 to about one cent per dollar during the years 2002 to 2005."

Read Tina's full column and get involved in the conversation.

Summer feeding sites get a boost from AmeriCorps VISTAs

2011-06-20T17:31:00.000-04:00

More of Ohio's needy children will have access to healthy meals this summer, with the help of 100 AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates who kicked off a summer of service today at a swearing-in ceremony at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. The VISTA Summer Associates will spend the summer supporting organizations who serve free meals to children during the summer through the USDA's Summer Food Service Program.

United States Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Kevin Concannon administered the federal oath of service at the ceremony. Concannon expressed his gratitude toward National Service and its ability to help provide meals to children in need across Ohio.

"The health and wellbeing of our nation is dependent on the health of our children, and no child should ever have to go hungry," Concannon said. "USDA knows that our strength comes from our partnerships and from the work of service members such as the 100 AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates who will help ensure that Ohio children have a healthy start in life."

This year, 25 organizations throughout Ohio were awarded Summer Associates administered by the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, which acts as an intermediary between the Corporation for National and Community Service and the organizations that serve summer meals to children, including rec centers, places of worship, schools and camps. Summer Associates recruit volunteers, develop fun and educational activities for the summer programs, and reach out to families in need to ensure more children are being fed.

Crucial support for OASHF's Summer Associate program was provided by Governor Kasich's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Due to an uncertainty in funding for the Summer Associate program, OASHF was originally awarded only 75 Summer Associate slots to be placed at summer feeding sites in 2011. Recognizing the growing needs of children throughout Ohio with so many families still out of work, the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives provided an additional $60,000 that allowed OASHF to mobilize 25 more Summer Associates.

Four in ten Ohio children now qualify for the free or reduced-price school lunch. For these children, whose families struggle to make ends meet all year round, summer vacation can mean an end to the nutritional stability they have at school.

“Last year, only one out of every 12 children throughout Ohio who were eligible, were connected to the state’s Summer Food Service Programs. Summer Associates are a vital resource for organizations and agencies that administer a Summer Food Service Program, allowing for these sites to provide a nutritious meal to children in need,” said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, OASHF executive director.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, who co-hosted a hunger summit in January aimed at increasing the number of children who have access to a summer feeding site, sent a letter of recognition to each of the Summer Associates. "Like you, I swore an oath to serve the public. It is a humbling responsibility to recognize our individual actions are measured by the public good. But it's also an honor, and one that I now share with you," Brown wrote.

"As I travel the state, I see first-hand why what you do is so important. Congratulations again and thank you for your service to the people of our great state. I look forward to working with you and seeing the great things you will accomplish."

(See the Summer Associates taking the oath of service administered by United States Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Kevin Concannon.)

Find a Summer Food Service Program for Children

2011-06-20T15:49:00.000-04:00

As summer recess begins, children who utilized the free- and reduced-price meal program at school may be in need of a Summer Food Service Program Site. To find a participating location in your county, visit the Ohio Department of Education's Summer Food Service Program website:

Summer Feeding Site Locator Map

AmeriCorps members clear the way for sunlight and safety at Linden garden

2011-05-19T17:20:00.000-04:00

The Horn of Africa Community Garden in Columbus’s Linden neighborhood hums with activity during the day. Women, most of whom are refugees from Somalia, are watering, weeding, planting and talking, while small children are playing close by. But at night, the garden’s out-of-the-way location has attracted crime and vandalism.

SHARECorps VISTA member Sarah Lenkay learned about the problem when she visited the garden as part of her work at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Sarah mobilized about 20 volunteers who spent Saturday morning making a huge dent (literally!) in the problem. According to Sarah:

The garden sits on the property of the Rhema Christian Center and abuts Capital Park Apartments; this low-income housing is home to around 200 Somali refugee families. The community garden is a resource for the families and is maintained primarily by the women, who grow food for themselves and use it as a community gathering space where the women can come together and socialize.

While the garden is a wonderful space for the Somali women, it is also grounds for vandalism and other destructive activities. This is because the garden isn’t visible to the neighboring apartments and residents cannot see into the garden since the honeysuckle brush is severely overgrown.

AmeriCorps members and other community residents came Saturday morning to cut back the brush and clear the line of visibility between the apartments and the garden. Within a few hours, we were able to cut brush, bundle it, and haul it out of the area so the women vigilantes in the apartments could keep an eye on the garden.

Beth, a social worker from Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, a local non-profit refugee resettlement agency, told us the brush clean-up was vital to restoring safety and community integrity to the garden. Residents now feel safer entering the garden because they can see into it prior to going in. Also, women who watch the garden from their apartments are able to monitor activities and help reduce the occurrence of inappropriate, destructive activities taking place there.

All in all, the morning was beneficial for everyone. AmeriCorps members were able to directly impact a local community garden that serves a great community need, and the Somali women were able to ensure that their garden space would be safe and undamaged. In addition, many of the one-time volunteers are now interested in regularly volunteering at the garden, and are more aware of the challenges and successes that surround the large Somali refugee population in Columbus.

(Sarah Lenkay serves as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, where she is working to organize produce distributions at food pantries and building capacity for community gardens in Franklin County.)

Congrats to Our Winners!

2011-04-27T13:32:00.000-04:00

Drumroll please....

Third place goes to... Ashtabula County Community Action Agency!

Second place goes to... Medina County Department of Job and Family Services!

And the GRAND PRIZE, including lodging, mileage, and dinner for two at our OBB Annual Conference, goes to this winning photo from Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Agency!

Ohio Pork Farmers Donate to Those in Need

2011-04-20T08:25:00.000-04:00

"We are so thankful for our state's selfless network of pork farmers and their want to donate pork to those in need. Their desire to be part of the solution to Ohio's growing hunger epidemic could not come at a better time," said OASHF Executive Director Lisa Hamler-Fugitt.

During the 2011 Easter season, the Ohio Pork Producers Council (OPPC) is excited to donate more than 12,000 pounds of highly nutritious, protein-packed pork products to Ohio's emergency food assistance network.

"Ohio's pork farmers hope to provide 500,000 meals to Ohioans in need through the Pork Power program," said Dick Isler, Executive Vice President of OPPC. "This compassion is rooted in the direct connection and relationships pork farmers have with their communities."

OASHF and its 12 regional Feeding America foodbanks are thankful for the generosity of Ohio's network of pork farmers! Read the full press release here:

Shifting the Perception of Poverty

2011-04-13T10:28:00.000-04:00

Across Ohio, the need for the emergency food assistance network continues to rise. In the five-county region served by Shared Harvest Foodbank, the foodbank has more than doubled its food distribution since 2007.

Speaker of the House John Boehner’s 8th Congressional District falls almost entirely within Shared Harvest’s region. Like many other districts in Ohio and across the country, childhood poverty is on the rise in Boehner’s district. Nearly 30,000 children, or over 19 percent of children in the 8th District, are living below the federal poverty level. Overall, 14 percent of Ohioans in the 8th District are living in poverty.

The story painted by these numbers is not unique to the 8th District; it is a story prevalent throughout Ohio. Shared Harvest’s Executive Director, Tina Osso, has struggled to draw attention to the needs of the people her foodbank serves. Osso hopes that a shift in perception of poverty will result from the Great Recession.

“I think the best thing that could come out of this Great Recession is for people to understand that it only takes one or two paychecks for most people before they’re standing in line (for food assistance),” says Osso.

OASHF works together with commodity partners across Ohio to direct surplus and unmarketable agricultural products to hungry Ohioans. Read more about the Ohio Agriculture Clearance Program and other innovate programs here: http://www.oashf.org/programs/

To read more from Tina Osso’s interview with The Nation, visit The Nation’s blog.

Statewide OBB Photo Contest

2011-04-04T07:48:00.000-04:00

One grand prize winning OBB site will receive a free trip to the OBB Annual Conference, including mileage, hotel, and dinner for two!

OBB tax counselors helped thousands of clients keep what they earned, FREE! Pick up to 3 of your favorite photos, every day, from now until April 15!online surveys

ServeOhio Award recognizes National Service members

2011-03-21T10:42:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to our SHARECorps and HarvestCorps members! Our National Service programs were honored on Thursday with the 2011 ServeOhio Award for "Outstanding National Service Program" from the Ohio Community Service Council. Hear about why our program was selected here:

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Speak Up for National Service!

2011-02-24T11:36:00.000-05:00

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks proudly sponsors one of the largest AmeriCorps programs in the country. Our national service members provide both direct and indirect services throughout the state, bolstering nonprofit organizations and bringing Ohioans closer to self-sufficiency every day.

Funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service will be eliminated without your help. Read some of the stories of help and hope from current and former national service members, as well as the community organizations that would be devastated without their service. Then, ACT NOW by calling your legislators and signing the SaveAmeriCorps petition.

"Call me crazy, but I honestly think I can make a difference, a lasting impact in my country. Serving in AmeriCorps is what I see as an investment in an area that can not only have a huge impact on my own future, but essentially an impact for the country as a whole."

"To take AmeriCorps away would crush me, because I know the names and have seen the faces of the individuals who will not get the assistance they need."

"It's easy to turn the other cheek knowing that you don't depend on that food pantry to feed your family. It's easy to close that homeless shelter when you have somewhere else to stay warm and sleep regardless. It's easy to condemn people who make mistakes to lifelong punishments, and it's easy not to think about how we condemn their children, and their children's children, too. The easy thing to do is to cut them loose, and to go home and live comfortably. But it is also the wrong thing to do. If I need to explain why, then I fear no amount of letters can make a
difference. Save AmeriCorps."

"Our community will suffer because it would open the gap between the have and have nots which VISTA has work tirelessly to close."

"I do not wear a military uniform and I do not fight on the frontlines of armed conflicts but I made an oath to serve my county and am committed to fight for the recognition and revitalization of our American neighborhoods. As a nation moving forward from crisis perhaps a sense of duty to our local communities is a force that we should choose to invest in and- at the very least- should not underestimate."

"In large part, the contributions of these AmeriCorps members cannot be measured. How does one measure the value of heat restored to a freezing family or the humbling feeling that overcomes a volunteer the first time they change a life for the better? But warm feelings and touching stories do not drive budget processes. Fortunately, the results produced by these members stand alone and support the continuation of funding to the CNCS."

"Denying funding to AmeriCorps would put thousands of members out of work in a time when unemployment is already at record highs. Cutting AmeriCorps wouldn‘t just put AmeriCorps members out of work, though. It would also cripple the hundreds of thousands of non-profit agencies all over the United States that rely on AmeriCorps members to help them serve their communities."

"Our military service men and women work long hours and struggle bravely to protect our country. Similarly, our national service members work long hours and struggle bravely to serve and protect our most cherished resources—our communities and our neighbors."

"As one of the agencies that supports the work of the Americorps VISTA program and who has sponsored a VISTA member for the past two years I am greatly saddened. Our small non-profit agency and the clients we serve in this neighborhood rely on our VISTA member to coordinate all of our volunteers who do the work that we cannot afford to hire others to do."

"The Corporation of National and Community Service is a foundational element to
the moral fabric of our country and supporting such programs sends a powerful message that our communities are ultimately strengthened by civic engagement."

OpportunityNation Coalition

2011-01-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks has recently joined the OpportunityNation Coalition. OpportunityNation is building a national coalition of non-profits, business leaders, social entrepreneurs, community and faith-based organizations in an effort to build support for a non-partisan agenda for economic opportunity and mobility.

OpportunityNation wants to refresh and rebuild the American Dream for every man, woman and child. We’re going to do this by demanding that our leaders, from the places we live all the way to Washington, make a commitment to restoring the American Dream. These past few years have certainly been difficult. Some of us have lost our grip on the American Dream, while others never had a chance to reach it. Together, we’re going to make opportunity real for everyone. We are thrilled to join what promises to be an exciting and historic grassroots movement.

On top of all this, we are excited to announce some terrific news: OpportunityNation has just been named the cause partner for the Roots Jam Session! The Roots Jam Session is an annual celebration that takes place the night before the Grammy Awards. The festivities feature many A-list performers and, of course, the Grammy winning band and one of Rolling Stone Magazines’ 20 Greatest Live Acts in the World: The Roots!

Each year The Roots Jam session picks a non-profit cause partner for the event, and we are excited and honored by this chance to highlight the work we are doing together.
Even as we look forward to this exciting event, our work is just getting started. Please visit opportunitynation.org and signup to learn more about our campaign and help us develop an opportunity agenda.

We hope you join us in engaging with OpportunityNation and supporting all of our work to make the American Dream a reality.

Free Tax Assistance through The Ohio Benefit Bank

2011-01-20T12:14:00.000-05:00

Upcoming Community Conversations

2011-01-12T13:20:00.000-05:00

Ohio's $8 billion structural deficit leaves our state legislators with little choice but to make some tough decisions in the months ahead, decisions that could deeply affect your community and the programs you operate.

OASHF, the Ohio Job & Family Services Directors Association, and Advocates for Ohio's Future are hosting "Community Conversations" across the state and we need you to attend and speak about:

The amazing social service programs you operate

The state of Ohio's economy and how it is affecting your community

The support you need to support Ohio's struggling families

State legislators, media, and community stakeholders have been invited. Don't get left out of the conversation! Find your nearest Community Conversation and RSVP here.

No Food to Spare: Foodbanks Featured in Columbus Dispatch

2010-12-14T09:33:00.000-05:00

"With the economy still struggling, many Ohio families find themselves in a similar position while trying to put together holiday meals.

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank plans to help about 15,000 of them.

By Friday, the food bank is to have shipped 2 million pounds of food to about 500 pantries and other distributors across its 20-county service area. The holiday program produces boxes that each hold enough food to feed a four-person family for three or four days, said spokesman Colin Baumgartner. "It obviously keeps our trucks very busy."

The program is in its second year and accounts for a lot of the bank's annual distribution, which should reach 40 million pounds this year, Baumgartner said.

That's a 4 million-pound jump over last year and a sign of the rising demand that food banks throughout the state are working to manage, he said, adding that distribution by Mid-Ohio is up 44 percent over four years ago. The Cleveland Foodbank has provided 50percent more food during the past two years. As of Nov.30, Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank had distributed 38 percent more food than in the first 11 months of last year."

Read the full article from The Columbus Dispatch.

AARP Ohio Members: Ohio Foodbank Supporters

2010-11-22T14:08:00.000-05:00

AARP Ohio partnered with OASHF through AARP's Create the Good Campaign to reach out to AARP Ohio members and ask for their help in the fight against hunger. Here are some of the remarks that members shared when they called our hotline to donate:

Phyllis said, "It is just the right thing to do. I want to help my neighbors."

Denise said she usually tries to help out with the food pantries in her neighborhood at least three times a year.

Anonymous sees the need in her area. They are fortunate and want to give what they can.

Ron volunteers twice a week at the food pantry. Volunteering not only makes him feel good but makes him appreciate how blessed he is even when he has to tighten his budget.

Ross volunteers at the local pantry and knows sometimes that they run out of food to give people. So he thought the next time he went to volunteer he would also bring some food to donate.

Patricia got the postcard in the mail and just wanted to help out.

Eugene just retired and realizes he is more fortunate than a lot of other people. He feels it is the right thing to do because he has a little extra money to buy some shelf-stable food.

Connie has always donated. There was a time when her husband was out of work and they did not have much money. They lived on a farm and were able to grow their own food, but a lot of other people do not have that blessing.

Kathleen had a friend who used to get everyone to donate food/diapers/clothes every week at their church, and whenever there was someone who needed something, she would get the items together and give them to the family in need. Her friend passed away two years ago, and she has been thinking for a long time about taking up her cause. When she opened the letter she thought this was the time to do it. She also thought of her parents who are older and live out of state; she would want someone to do something for them if they needed it.

We appreciated hearing from all of the wonderful AARP Ohio members who continually reach out to support their local Foodbanks.

Great Needs Challenge to Help Raise Funds for Veteran Education Benefits

2010-11-16T13:33:00.000-05:00

Columbus Foundation selects Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks as One of Seven Recipients to Receive Great Needs Challenge Funding

As can be felt throughout the state of Ohio, the lingering effects of the economic recession can't be ignored. In central Ohio, thousands of individuals and families continue the uphill battle to make ends meet. Whether unemployed, underemployed, or living with greatly reduced retirement income, our neighbors find they are unable to afford the necessities of life including food, prescriptions, and a roof over their heads.

It is with excitement that we announce that OASHF is one of seven eligible nonprofit organizations included in The Columbus Foundation's Great Needs Challenge. This means that you can make a gift to OASHF for this Critical Need Alert, and The Columbus Foundation will match your gift 50 cents for every dollar you give, while the matching funds last. Gifts can be designated to OASHF or to the Great Needs Challenge as a whole, in which case you gift would be allocated across all seven eligible nonprofits.

Funds raised through dollars given on behalf of OASHF will be utilized to begin the addition of educational benefits for Veterans onto The Ohio Benefit Bank.

"This is truly a great opportunity, not just for the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, but more importantly for the men and women of the Armed Services who defend our freedom each and every day," said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt.

Beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, you are invited to make gifts online through PowerPhilanthropy.

Announcing our Photo Contest Winner!

2010-11-10T11:37:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Trillium Family Solutions!

SHARECorps member Stephanie Soduk and HarvestCorps member Brent Sigley, along with staff at their site Trillium Family Solutions, were the winners in our Making a Difference Photo Contest!

For Make a Difference Day 2010, staff and AmeriCorps members at Trillium Family Solutions celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Ways to Work loan program. To celebrate they invited community members, staff, clients, and other AmeriCorps members to an event benefiting The Domestic Violence Project, Inc. They received a great deal of support from businesses around the community, including Quaker Steak and Lube, Subway, First Merit Bank, and many others. Trillium partnered was able to collect a large box of hygiene products and cash donations for The Domestic Violence Project. The event was a great success because Trillium was able to support a great cause while celebrating the difference one of its programs makes in the lives of its clients all year long.

Thanks to all members who submitted photos from their Make a Difference Day projects! We are truly thankful for all that you do to make your communities a better place for all of us. Keep up the great work!

Vote once each day, from now until Friday, November 5 at 5 pm!

2010-11-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

OASHF National Service Members took part in Make a Difference Day on Oct. 23. Vote for up to 3 "Make a Difference" photos! (click to enlarge)survey software

Highlighting National Service

2010-10-22T11:51:00.000-04:00

We asked a few of our National Service Members to tell us what their service has meant to them and to their communities. Brent Sigley, one of our HarvestCorps members, shared his story:

"My name is Brent Sigley and I’m an Ohio Benefit Bank Counselor at Trillium Family Solutions in Canton, OH. AmeriCorps and the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks afforded me the opportunity to gain invaluable experience that will further help me as an aspiring social worker.

I have served one full year in fighting poverty and this has been on of the best years of my life. Direct Service is by far my favorite part of being an AmeriCorps Member.

Being able to sympathize and empathize with my clients also helps me be a better advocate for their needs. Knowing that I make a difference everyday in the community gives me satisfaction in knowing that I’m not part of the problem, but I’m part of the solution in this fight against poverty. OASHF has made me realize that the sky is the limit for personal achievement and growth. Within one year I was recognized in the top 10 “Make a Difference Day Projects” out of 1,112 events and my site won The Ohio Benefit Bank's “Site of the Year” award. With hard work, dedication, determination and love, 30 of my colleagues and I have helped 35,000 low-income Ohioans with linking them with government assistance. I would encourage anyone who has a genuine desire to make a difference in this world to join AmeriCorps and the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, because it would be one of the best decisions you ever made!"

National Pork Month: Highlighting The Ohio Pork Producers Council

2010-10-13T08:22:00.000-04:00

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF) would like to bring light to its partnership with The Ohio Pork Producers Council (OPPC), in celebration of October being National Pork Month.

Through a partnership between over 3,700 Ohio hog farmers and 12 of Ohio’s regional foodbanks, Pork Power: Partnering to Fight Hunger in Ohio, helps feed those in need within Ohio’s local communities.

To thank consumers for enjoying pork and supporting Ohio farm families during National Pork Month, Ohioans are welcome to visit www.OhioPork.org to learn more about Ohio’s hog farmers, as well as download a $2 off coupon for fresh pork accepted at any Ohio retailer.

The partnership between OASHF and OPPC, while young, has had a substantial impact on the lives of thousands of Ohioans already. Committed to donating 100,000 pounds of pork which is equivalent to 500,000 servings, Ohio’s hog farmers have contributed nearly 60,000 pounds of pork to date, which is over 289,000 meals.

Hungry Kids Cannot Wait

2010-10-12T07:43:00.000-04:00

The Facts:

Ohio is third in the nation, behind Louisiana and North Carolina, for children under the age of five at risk for food insecurity. 54% percent of children in Ohio receive free or reduced price school meals. In the first and largest survey of its kind the Gallup Healthways Well-being Index reported that 27.2% of Ohio households with children reported they were at risk of food insecurity. Ohio had 3 cities in the top 25 of Metropolitan Statistical areas with the worst rates of food hardship in 2008-2009.

The Solution:

Child nutrition programs offer the healthiest and most nourishing meals that many children receive each week. For many poor children, these meals may be their only fully-balanced meals. While access to school meals is critically important teachers report that many children arrive at school on Monday morning with headaches, stomachaches, listless or agitated and because they didn’t have enough food over the weekend. Learning and the need for a stable source of nutritious food does not stop with the school day.

Food banks in Ohio have been operating “back pack” programs for several years but are limited in their ability to expand these critical programs to communities in need and schools on waiting lists. The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Education and OASHF regional foodbanks, submitted a waiver request to the United States Department of Agriculture requesting a waiver of the federal regulations that disallow reimbursements for food taken “off-site,” or home, to eat and to be able to operate a “weekend only” child nutrition program.

Please read more about the Back Pack waiver request we submitted and sign on to support children who are at risk for hunger in your community.

Food Pantry Network of Licking County Feeds Over 2,000

2010-10-01T08:15:00.000-04:00

From the Newark Advocate:

"The Food Pantry Network of Licking County provided more than 2,000 people with free produce Wednesday outside Indian Mound Mall.

The first giveaway of free produce to low-income residents began at 10 a.m. in the former Steve & Barry's parking lot, but people began waiting at 7 a.m. By 9 a.m., about 100 people were standing in line.

At 1:30 p.m., the Food Pantry was almost out of food, having distributed 51,169 pounds, or 40 pallets, to 650 households, or an estimated 2,000 people.

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, stationed in Columbus and provider to food banks throughout Ohio, bought the produce to distribute to those making up to 200 percent of the poverty level."

View photos from Wednesday's distribution.

Slim Pickings for Recent College Grads

2010-09-29T11:24:00.000-04:00

Today's Columbus Dispatch cover story featured our very own AmeriCorps*VISTA member, Alesha Rademan. We asked Alesha to tell us more about her story as a recent college graduate and her struggle to find work in the current job market:

"I graduated from Capital University in May of 2009 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management & Leadership (Human Resources). I thought I was going to be able to just walk into the job market and find something related to my degree with almost no problem. Boy, was I wrong.

I was approached about becoming a VISTA right after graduation, but I repeatedly said no because I just knew I would find a job. I sent out anywhere between 30-50 applications, most in Ohio but some in other states such as Washington, Michigan, and Indiana. In the end the out-of-state companies did not even respond. Most of the positions in Ohio expected the applicants to have 5 years of prior experience or more. There were not very many entry levels positions and if there was they were not positions I could really see myself enjoying and lasting very long. I did have some responses from companies about a few positions I applied for and even made it to an interview, a second interview, and in two cases a job offer.

Unfortunately, the two job offers I did receive were for a call center and as a telemarketer for a student loan company. Neither position was something I could see myself lasting in for more than a couple months. The whole situation just made me uncomfortable. So it was back to the drawing board. I attended two or three job fairs in Columbus. I made a few connections but for the most part I felt they were a waste of my time because they were primarily meant to build skills, skills I already acquired at Capital. I remember standing in line for a job fair held at Vets Memorial for about an hour and a half to only spend an hour inside. Most of that hour unfortunately was spent waiting in line to talk to three companies.

The next thing I knew a year had gone by since I had graduated and I was still only working part time and still living at home. I was approached again about becoming a VISTA and the idea seemed a little more appealing. The final decision really did come down to I needed a better job, something more than part time. I participated in community service while in college and it was something that I wanted to continue doing after I graduated so becoming a VISTA made sense. The pay rate was a little intimidating but it was such a good opportunity for connections and a resume booster I couldn’t really come up with a reason to say no. I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into when I began my year of service in June, but now I am completely happy with my decision and can’t wait to see what the rest of my year of service will bring."

Alesha is currently serving as a Community Trainer with The Ohio Benefit Bank, helping people in similar situations in Southeast Ohio. Visit the OBBservations in Southeast Ohio blog to learn more about Alesha's work.

Ohio Sees Steep Rise in Poverty and Income Loss

2010-09-28T11:33:00.000-04:00

Decreases in Employment, Increases in Assistance Plague State’s Economy

It comes as no surprise for those who advocate for Ohio’s poor and working classes that Ohio was hit hard by the Great Recession in 2009. Data released today from the United States Census Bureau in the American Community Survey shows that more than 1.7 million Ohioans, representing 15.2 percent of the states population were living at or below the federal poverty level in 2009, an increase of over 217,000 Ohioans or 1.94 percent when compared to the same data in 2008.

The American Community Survey paints a bleak picture of Ohio for 2009 in many respects. The data shows there was a drastic increase in the number of Ohioans who were unemployed from 2008 to 2009, climbing an additional 4.1 percent or over 239,500 Ohioans when comparing the state’s civilian labor force. As the labor force decreased substantially, the average income for Ohio families decreased as well, showing that the recession is a multi-edged sword. In 2008 median household income was $47,428 annually, but in 2009 that annual income decreased to $45,395.

With the increase in the number of Ohioans who were unemployed along with the annual income of Ohioans decreasing, it comes as no surprise that the number of Ohioans who were receiving government assistance increased substantially. Over 7,800 additional Ohioans were in receipt of government cash assistance (Ohio Works First) in 2009, while the number of Ohioans in receipt of Food Assistance (formerly known as Food Stamps) climbed to over 1.4 million Ohioans in 2009, an increase of over 27.8 percent from the number in receipt of Food Assistance in 2008.

Through no fault of their own, Ohioans are being forced to make tough decisions each and every day. Data released by the Mathematica Policy Research Institute in their Hunger in Ohio 2010 study aligns with the stark picture of Ohio painted by the American Community Survey. The Hunger in Ohio 2010 study showed that more Ohioans than ever are being forced into the lines of the emergency food network due to lack of employment, wage stagnation and choices that no individual should be forced to make. In 2009 over 1.4 million Ohioans turned to the emergency food network for assistance with their nutritional needs, while at the same time, nearly 1 in 4 children in Ohio under the age of 5 were considered to live in a home with low food insecurity. This data is matched by the findings of the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which shows that 21.9 percent of Ohio children are living in households that are at or below the federal poverty level.

Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director at the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, is alarmed, but not surprised by the data in the American Community Survey. “The data released today may catch some off guard, but for many, it comes as no surprise. We each know someone who has been affected by this recession and we must now stand up together for the betterment of Ohio and its citizens, especially those who are most vulnerable. It is both wrong and unaffordable to leave such a large number of Ohio families poor and threatened by hunger and sickness. Today’s poverty report should be a wake-up call for urgent investments in helping parents get back to work and to meet the basic needs of Ohioans.”

From Nora Nees, OASHF Director of Senior and Child Nutrition

2010-09-20T08:19:00.000-04:00

Please take 5 minutes today and call your Congressperson on signing on to our back pack waiver request and funding a child nutrition bill that increases access and does not use SNAP/food stamps as an offset! Send this message on!

Back Pack Waiver
Today is the last day for our Congressional delegation to sign on to the waiver allowing federal reimbursements for meals taken off site. The letter is being circulated by Sarah McHugh in Congressman Driehaus’s office. Please call at the numbers listed below and urge your representative to sign on to the letter. They can contact Sarah McHugh at 5-2216.

Even if they have committed to signing they need to hear from you on the deadline and the urgency.
Dennis Kucinich—Yonatan Zamir (202) 225-5871 yonatan.zamir@mail.house.gov
Steven LaTourette—Sarah Cannon (202) 225-5731 sarah.cannon@mail.house.gov
John Boehner—Katherine Haley (202) 225-4000 katherine.haley@mail.house.gov
**Jean Schmidt—Matt Perin (202) 225-3164 matt.perin@mail.house.gov
Michael Turner—Joseph Heaton (202)225-6465 joseph.heaton@mail.house.gov
Jim Jordan—Wesley Goodman (202) 225-2676 wesley.goodman@mail.house.gov
Robert Latta—Bethany Peck (202) 225-6405 bethany.peck@mail.house.gov
Steve Austria—Courtney Temple (202) 225-4324 courtney.temple@mail.house.gov
Zack Space—Dan Farmer (202) 225-6265 dan.farmer@mail.house.gov
Pat Tiberi—Kelli Briggs (202)225-5355 kelli.briggs@mail.house.gov

Ask Senator Brown and Senator Voinovich to send a letter as well:
Sherrod Brown—Jonathan McCracken (202) 224-2315 jonathan_mccracken@brown.senate.gov
George Voinovich—Dana Smullen or Heather Homan (202) 224-3353 dana_smullen@voinovich.senate.gov or heather_homan@voinovich.senate.gov

Send a big thank you to signers!
Charlie Wilson—Heidi Ross (202) 225-5705 heidi.ross@mail.house.gov
Betty Sutton—Allison Abney (202) 225-3401 allison.abney@mail.house.gov
Tim Ryan—Michael Julian (202) 225-5261 michael.julian@mail.house.gov
John Boccieri—Justin Palmer (202) 225-3876 justin.palmer@mail.house.gov
Marcy Kaptur—Matt Kaplan (202) 225-4146 matthew.kaplan@mail.house.gov
Marcia Fudge—LaDavia Drane (out of the office) please email: ladavia.drane@mail.house.gov (202) 225-7032
Mary Jo Kilroy—Reginald Barker (202) 225-2015 reginald.barker@mail.house.gov

CNR Call In Days
We have a matter of days before the House goes home for the election. House members are being urged to pass the Senate version of child nutrition reauthorization funded with SNAP cuts before they leave!
Message: Far too many children - especially low-income children -- lack the nutrition they need to be healthy and successful. Urge the House to fund and pass a strong child nutrition bill now that increases children's opportunities for healthy meals both in and out of school -- and do so without cutting SNAP/Food Stamps.

Call In Days: From now through September 24th, make your CNR calls to Members of Congress toll-free via 1-877-425-4810 (courtesy of Voices for America's Children). In conjunction with the CNR Call-In Days, FRAC is hosting a "Tweetdown to CNR" to convey messages to Congress and the White House.

FRAC Resources: Watch for more detailed messages for the CNR Call-In Days and legislative updates to be posted to FRAC's website.

Sign and Circulate Letter Opposing Cuts to SNAP: More than 1,600 national, state, and community-based organizations have signed the letter opposing cuts to SNAP benefits. Help grow the list of signers. Click here for details.

Hard Facts in Northeast Ohio

2010-09-17T10:28:00.000-04:00

In Summit County, home to the city of Akron and the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, our friends at the Job and Family Services office are taking steps to respond to the ever-growing crisis in the communities they serve.

Read more about those steps and what they mean to Summit County residents.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer: In Cuyahoga County, the number of households receiving some form of public assistance has hit 160,000 and continues to grow by about 1,000 per month, said Joseph Gauntner, director of the Employment and Family Services agency.

A broader geographic measure comes from the Cleveland Foodbank, which serves Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Astabula, Ashland and Richland counties.
The agency is on track to distribute more than 32 million pounds of food in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, an increase of 50 percent from two years ago.

Read the whole story, which highlights findings about health insurance from the recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

OASHF Press Release 9/16/2010

2010-09-16T14:51:00.000-04:00

The number of employed Americans dropped by over 8 million when comparing the nation’s workforce in early 2008 to the same workforce in late 2009. More alarming and showing the correlation between the national recession, long-term unemployment and poverty is the fact that 61 percent of those jobs were lost before the Recovery Act was enacted in February 2009.

For the state of Ohio, the numbers are dismal, but this is not new news for our state’s emergency food network. “Though alarming, these numbers are not one bit surprising,” said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks. “In 2009, more than 1.430 million different Ohioans turned to the state’s emergency food network to supplement their everyday nutritional needs. The statewide hunger study, Hunger in Ohio 2010 gave us a real sense of what the forecast looked like for Ohio and it was not good. The Census Bureau’s data backs the same projection that Hunger in Ohio gave us, which is that more and more people need our help, which is why it is crucial for our network to be stronger today than ever.”

See the full press release

Just Released: New Poverty Statistics from the Census Bureau

2010-09-16T11:22:00.000-04:00

From the Associated Press: "Given all the unemployment we saw, it's the government safety net that's keeping people above the poverty line," said Douglas Besharov, a University of Maryland public policy professor and former scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

That may be true, but unfortunately today's release of new U.S. Census Bureau poverty statistics for 2009 also show the continuation of another trend: more Americans are falling below the poverty line. OASHF and its member foodbanks and partners are on the front lines of the fight against poverty every day, and these statistics speak to what we are witnessing in communities across Ohio.

Among the working-age population, ages 18 to 65, poverty rose from 11.7 percent to 12.9 percent.

Child poverty rose from 19 percent to 20.7 percent.

Read more about the most recent statistics and help someone you know to find the help that they need.

"Front Lines in the Recession-Wracked Economy"

2010-09-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

A recent editorial by the Cincinnati Enquirer highlights the need to support those social service agencies, like OASHF and its member foodbanks, that are on the front lines during these tough economic times.

Clearly, a lot of families are struggling in our community with job loss, underemployment and other effects of the current recession. All this is putting great pressure on our region's social service agencies. Those agencies need our support more than ever to help keep families stable in difficult economic times.

Read the full editorial, which highlights the Freestore Foodbank and its mission to fight hunger.

Operation YP to host "2010 Hunger Summit"

2010-09-10T08:48:00.000-04:00

"In conjunction with the Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s 30th Anniversary and Hunger Action Month, Operation YP presents the 2010 Hunger Summit to be held on Wednesday, September 29, at Mid-Ohio Foodbank. This is an opportunity for community members of all ages and backgrounds to explore the issue of hunger, make a meaningful contribution to how the community responds to hunger, provide useful feedback for organizations involved in hunger-related work, and learn about ways to take action and make a difference, both personally and professionally."

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank is one of 12 OASHF member Foodbanks across the state. Find the OASHF member Foodbank serving your county!

A Success Story to Smile About

2010-09-09T16:01:00.000-04:00

"Regina came in to do a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) application in June. Through that process one of the OBB ODJFS case workers discovered she has been eligible for unemployment since March of this year, however we were unable to reach her for sometime due to the nature of her living situation and the fact that she does not have an address or phone. (At the end of last year she was laid off and then lost her apartment. She and her daughter have been homeless since the beginning of the year, however somehow she managed to have her daughter graduate from high school.)

After we finally tracked her down (with the help of some of our other homeless clients, out on the street looking for her!) she was able to set up a mailing address through our office, and we worked with the unemployment office to straighten everything out.

She just stopped by to check her mail, and received over $4000 in back unemployment!

This is a HUGE success story folks! She is on her way to go look for an apartment. Keep doing what you’re doing everyone, it is important! We hear doom and gloom all the time: take a minute to smile about our impact in this family’s life!”

- Emily Forsee, OASHF HarvestCorps (AmeriCorps*State) Member

Join the Paper Plate Campaign!

2010-09-08T16:34:00.000-04:00

There is no better way for local legislators and the media to understand the hardships faced by millions of Ohioans than to hear from the Ohioans who are currently faced with making tough choices. To give a glimpse into the lives of what a staggering number of Ohioans are facing because of the Great Recession, we are asking that you join with us in the Paper Plate Campaign!
We ask that you distribute paper plates to your clients and ask them to write down their current situation or circumstance, including what choices they have been forced to make and what would happen if they did not have access to a foodbank or food pantry.

OASHF will provide each organization who would like to participate with the following:

1) Requested/specified number of paper plates
2) Writing utensils
3) Prepaid postage to send back the completed paper plates

Just fill out the Paper Plate Campaign registration form to join us!

A Single Mother Gets Assistance Through the Ohio Benefit Bank

2010-01-21T13:56:00.000-05:00

We'd like to pass along a story from Brent Sigley, one of our Americorps volunteers. We think it's a great example of using the Benefit Bank software to improve someone's life for the better.

I recently assisted a Family Involvement Coordinator (FIC) at Trillium Family Solutions [ed: a non-profit organization based in Stark County] in filling out a food stamp application for her first client. The FIC was close friends with the client and knew that she was in desperate need of assistance. The applicant was a single mother of two children, and she was only working a part-time job and receiving approximately $200 a month in child support. A week before her appointment, she had received an eviction notice. After she got done paying the utility bills and for food for her children, she didn’t have enough money to pay the rent.

After we filled out the application, it appeared she was eligible for cash assistance and over $500.00 worth of food assistance. When I had told her this wonderful news, she broke down and started to cry. She had been spending close to that in food for the month, and now she would be able to pay her rent on time.

I took this application personally because I was raised by a single mother and I remember when times were tough and we could barely get our bills paid. So this really touched home for me. It was like putting icing on the cake when the application was done, knowing that The Ohio Benefit Bank was that much of an aid.

Thanks, Brent!

The New York Times Continues its Food Stamp Coverage

2010-01-05T13:59:00.000-05:00

The Gray Lady strikes again with a gut wrenching story about families that subsist on nothing but food stamps for income. No unemployment compensation, no cash assistance, no job. Nothing. The coping mechanisms utilized by people in this predicament is heartbreaking.

And the amount of people dealing with this terrible hand is rising quickly. Check this out:

Yikes.

In our experience, we would estimate that half of all the clients we see don't have any income or have an income of under $250 a month. These people depend on food assistance to survive. Hopefully we can keep helping these people sign up.

Reporter joins needy in Freestore line

2009-11-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

Reporter Mark Curnutte joins the Thanksgiving food line at the Freestore Foodbank.
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20091124/NEWS01/911250336/