COLUMBUS, Ohio - New U.S. Census numbers on poverty and income in Ohio show more people have fallen into poverty, and family incomes were down in 2010. The percentage of Ohioans in poverty ranges from 23 percent in Columbus to 34 percent in Cleveland and Dayton.

The news comes as no surprise to Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks. She says we all know someone who has been affected by the lingering recession.

"The data continues to confirm what we've seen; that poverty is up, incomes are down. More Ohioans, many for the first time ever, are finding themselves in a situation where they're not only threatened with hunger, but deeper poverty."

Hamler-Fugitt adds that Ohio's food banks could not meet current needs without support from federal nutrition programs, and those programs are among many targeted for budget cuts as Congress looks at ways to address larger economic problems.

Ohio Senator Rob Portman is one of the 12 members of the "super committee" making those recommendations.

"We do believe that this needs to be about shared sacrifice, but that neither our state, nor our national economy, will be able to recover unless our Congress sets basic needs as a top priority."

Hamler-Fugitt calls the latest data a wake-up call for investments in helping Ohioans get back to work, and to secure the long-worked-for retirements of seniors.

"Folks who have worked hard all of their lives, who have played by the rules, and through no fault of their own, they find themselves now in a situation of having to go to a food pantry or soup kitchen in order to feed themselves, and this really is about a set of national priorities."

She says Ohio's 12 Feeding America food banks and networks of local agencies have seen a 60 percent increase in the number of clients served.


Census numbers are at census.gov




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Supply-chain issues, inflation and job loss during the pandemic have put many families' food security at risk.

In New Hampshire, food insecurity remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, and recent census surveys show 7% of households are considered food insecure, and the number jumps to 8% for households with children.

Jessica Gorhan, deputy director of New Hampshire Hunger Solutions, said the Granite State could do a much better job at utilizing federal nutrition dollars for programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the one for Women, Infants and Children.

"For WIC, we only serve about 44% of those who are eligible," said Gorhan. "And for SNAP, we rank 39th in the country. For SNAP participation, New Hampshire misses overall 18% of independent individuals who are eligible but not enrolled."

Gorhan added that among the state's older population, that number is closer to 60%.

She noted there's a bill before the New Hampshire General Court to increase SNAP outreach, SB 404, that would help let more people know they could be receiving benefits.

Gorhan noted that even with more people enrolled in SNAP, some residents still might struggle to get enough food on the table. She said SNAP covers roughly a $1.40 per meal per person, whereas the average cost of a meal is almost $3.50 per meal per person.

"We need to expand at the federal-level eligibility so that more people have access to SNAP, but we also need to expand the benefits," said Gorhan. "So some of that has been happening through the pandemic, which has helped to offset the costs, but we know that those things need to be permanent."

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, food prices overall have increased 6.8% since November 2020.

Prices for meat, poultry, fish and eggs have gone up more than 12% and 4% for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Gorhan said two more bills could help - a WIC farmers market incentive bill, and a farm-to-school reimbursement program.

Advocates in the battle against food insecurity are urging lawmakers to find room in the upcoming Utah state budget to increase aid to food banks and other nutrition programs.

When the Utah Legislature's 2022 session opens, state agencies and social-service groups are hoping to make an ad hoc task force formed during the pandemic permanent, and that its recommendations will result in new policies in the battle against poverty and hunger.

Alex Cragun, food security advocate for the group Utahns Against Hunger, said the committee brings like-minded entities together to fight food insecurity.

"It is a working group of people that lead out on various federal nutrition programs like SNAP, WIC and others, where they come together and talk about how they can better work together to address issues," Cragun explained.

Cragun noted Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, is planning a bill to turn the informal Task Force on Food Security into a permanent entity. He said the coalition aims to find another $1.3 million for food banks, and to bolster state and federal nutrition programs.

Cragun pointed out Gov. Spenser Cox has left the door open in his budget proposal to find additional funds to make infrastructure improvements to dozens of Utah food banks, as well as help to feed more families.

"While the Legislature is still looking at an income tax cut, which Utahns Against Hunger opposes, the governor's budget provides certain alternative paths to better utilizing some of that funding, rather than simply cutting it," Cragun emphasized.

Cragun added the governor's budget also calls on lawmakers to either mitigate or eliminate the state's "food tax," which, depending on local options, added between 2% and 5% to Utahns' grocery bills. He thinks those resources should be aimed at families who fall outside the current benefit programs.

"Investment in working Utahns and those that needed help, and especially those that haven't benefited from federal programs," Cragun outlined. "I would mention members of the undocumented community, who don't have access to federal programs, depending on their household circumstance."

The 2022 session of the Utah Legislature opens January 18th and is scheduled to run 45 days.

A new online mapping project is helping connect local growers to regional markets in the state's Upper Coastal Plain.

Planning and Development Services Director at the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments Ron Townley explained the region's small farmers want to expand as a food source for more populated urban areas such as the Triangle - where fresh, local produce and meat are in demand.

"What we learned is that a lot of our small farmers and farmer's markets and local food suppliers are having trouble scaling up," said Townley. "Distributors are located outside the region. A lot of processing is outside the region, and a lot of the demand is outside the region."

He said anyone can submit new information on grocery stores, farms and gardens, Community Supported Agriculture opportunities and other aspects of food infrastructure in Edgecombe, Nash, Halifax, Northampton and Wilson counties.

The Healthy Food Access Mapping Project (Healthy FAM) is being led by the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments with support from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.

The Upper Coastal Plain is currently designated by the North Carolina Department of Commerce as economically distressed.

Townley noted that healthy-food advocates are working to help secure more food-processing facilities, commercial kitchens, and cold-storage facilities to increase resources for growers.

"The local food movement in short really hasn't taken as big a root in this area as it has in some other areas," said Townley. "Grocery stores, banks and other things are shutting down in some areas. And it's creating food deserts."

Kendrick Ransome comes from generations of Black landowners in the region and owns Golden Organic Farm LLC. He said the map has helped him forge relationships with institutional buyers and find new resources.

"Being able to get connected to the earth, connected to the land, has helped shape me as a new-generation Black farmer," said Ransome. "So it's been a great tool to help farmers, especially beginner farmers like myself."

He added that he sees new interest in local food production, especially over the last two years of the pandemic and its affect on the supply chain and food insecurity.

Ransome said next year he has big plans to continue engaging with the community.

"A lot of education courses around teaching the community how to grow their own food organically," said Ransome. "As well as, we'll be building the infrastructure to be an incubator site for Edgecombe and Nash counties."

Black and Hispanic households are more than twice as likely as white households to report uncertainty in knowing where their next meal will come from, and the number of residents who rely on SNAP to purchase food jumped by 29% in 2020, according to the North Carolina Justice Center.