COLUMBUS, Ohio – Many Ohio schools are delayed or closed once again because of a winter storm, but some children are missing out on more than learning when class is canceled.

Last year, more than 780,000 children relied on free or reduced-price meals at school.

Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, has been talking to nutrition-service directors who she says are concerned because when school is not in session, many children go hungry.

"We have had some schools in the state of Ohio who have had nearly 20 calamity days so far, which means that low-income children who rely very heavily on free or reduced priced school lunch and breakfast programs have been missing those meals," she explains.

Hamler-Fugitt adds food banks and pantries are seeing steady increases in requests for more food to try to fill the gap. And she says librarians are reporting a record number of children are showing up at libraries on snow days because they have nowhere else to go.

For some children, Hamler-Fugitt says the two meals they receive at school are the only food they'll eat all day.

Because of other financial strains, she says a pre-storm run to the grocery store for bread and milk may not be an option for low-income families.

"High heat bills are now hitting the mailboxes of low-income families, forcing those families to make more difficult choices between, 'Do I buy food or do I pay our utility bills?'” she points out. “Missing days of work means a lighter paycheck at the end of the month."

Hamler-Fugitt says this current crisis underscores the importance of preparedness and the need to modernize child nutrition programs.

"Have self-stable meals ready to go for similar situations, and to have those staged so if schools know that if bad weather is predicted then we can send nonperishable food items home with these kids so they have something to eat," she states.

Hamler-Fugitt adds that there are opportunities at the federal and state level to ensure no child goes hungry, including the Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill that Congress will consider this year.





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Groups working to end hunger in Nebraska are reaching out to all parts of the state to train food insecure people to advocate for others facing similar issues.

The advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed's Food Access Community Advocates Cohort educates people over nine months how to build advocacy, community organizing and storytelling skills, so they are better equipped to understand policies affecting the state's most food insecure people.

Megan Hamann, senior community organizer of food and nutrition access for Nebraska Appleseed, said having experienced hunger puts them in a better position to understand and talk about policy issues affecting hungry people in Nebraska.

"They have this lived experience that is really useful, I think, when it comes to making sure that our decision-makers know the impact of the policies they are considering," Hamann explained.

Nebraska Appleseed will start taking applications for new program participants Friday.

Hamann pointed out the number of food insecure people in Nebraska is greater now than it was during the pandemic, when demand at food banks was already high.

"I think with the passage of the recent federal budget reconciliation bill, we are looking forward to a period of time where that need is going to reach new extremes," Hamann projected.

This will be the fourth year of the cohort program. Many past participants have taken leadership roles in their communities and are now leading local efforts to educate others about the best ways to address food insecurity.


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It has been about three weeks since the Rowena Fire in Oregon's Columbia Gorge was put out, and the local food bank remains vital to recovery efforts.

The fire burned 3,600 acres in Wasco County, destroying 56 homes and 100 other structures.

Breen Goodwin, executive director of the Columbia Gorge Food Bank, said they are always prepared to assist during disasters with ready-to-eat emergency food boxes and water. She added many displaced families are living with relatives, in hotels, or camping and remain uncertain about their next steps.

"It is difficult in a community of our size to absorb housing needs for that many families who have lost homes," Goodwin acknowledged. "That next step of the recovery process of truly: 'How are those families being supported with more long term recovery efforts?'"

Breen pointed out the food bank has been serving as a distribution site to hand out supplies from Adventist Health of the Columbia Gorge and other organizations who donated nonfood items, including air purifiers, generators, hygiene supplies and stuffed animals for kids.

One of the biggest challenges, Breen noted, is keeping a supply of drinking water flowing once people start to return home.

"We're able to drop full pallets of water directly into the impacted communities because most of the time the drinking water is no longer safe until enough testing has been done," Breen explained.

The Columbia Gorge Food Bank is one of 21 regional food banks in the Oregon Food Bank Network. Breen emphasized the number of people visiting the food bank rose to about 6,500 per month during the pandemic and has remained at that level. People can visit OregonFoodFinder.org to find pantry locations in their area.

Indiana families are navigating the summer without SUN Bucks, a federal grocery benefit which delivered $120 per child last summer.

Gov. Mike Braun's administration chose not to participate in 2025, citing prior planning gaps.

Mark Lynch, director of advocacy for the Indy Hunger Network, said the funding blackout hit the state hard.

"We really are feeling and seeing the impacts of not having the SUN Bucks program this year," Lynch emphasized. "That $120 per summer for those students that they had last year have created some longer lines at our food pantries."

State leaders said administrative hurdles kept Indiana out of the program. Supporters argued skipping SUN Bucks puts pressure on food banks and leaves low-income families with fewer options.

Lynch noted to help bridge the gap, Indiana expanded its summer meal sites to include prepackaged meals, which do not require daily pickups.

"But there's school starting soon and they're giving their workers some time off for the summer, so that might be ending in the next week or two," Lynch explained. "That's just an example and that happens around the state in rural, suburban, and in city communities."

The Indy Hunger Network and other partners continue to support Hoosiers through tools like the Community Compass app, which shows nearby meal sites and grocery assistance programs.


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