“We saw a notable increase of new families, especially after pandemic-era support ended,” said Amber Wright, the foodbank’s marketing lead. “Many families have not recovered from the aftermath when they lost those benefits and were faced with persistently high food costs or inflation, often with little or no wage increases.”
The region’s food bank has seen large increases to its own expenses, with its budget for wholesale food purchasing nearly doubling in post-pandemic years even though it’s receiving the same amount of product.
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
Food insecurity, persistent need
The region’s food bank distributed 18 million pounds of food in 2023, and it’s on track to match or exceed that amount this year.
Foodbank Inc. in Dayton is a part of a network of 200 Feeding America food banks nationwide, 12 of which are in Ohio (The Ohio Association of Foodbanks). Every year, Feeding America collects data regarding food insecurity, or the state of lacking consistent access to nutritious food.
According to Feeding America, Montgomery County has a food insecurity rate of 12.4%.
And hunger impacts people of all backgrounds. Foodbank Inc. often sees patrons coming to collect food in their work clothes, and many families with children are also assisted by the food bank.
Roughly one in seven adults and one in five children are experiencing food insecurity in Foodbank Inc.’s service area, according to Foodbank Inc.
Food cost
The region’s food bank buys many products in bulk as a cost-saving effort, but prices remain high.
Wright said the food bank often purchases peppercorn beef sticks for its Good-to-Go backpack program for children in kindergarten through the third grade. In the 2021 fiscal year, they cost 48 cents per unit. This year, they jumped to 62 cents per unit — a 30% increase.
But the cost of living is on the mind of donors and partnering retail locations, too. Foodbank Inc. has seen a noticeable drop in donations and excess food coming from grocery stores through the retail rescue program.
The market to buy food products, too, is tight. Members of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks will put out bids for certain food products, and sometime vendors will pull products to sell to retail locations instead because the market price is higher.
Fundraising is a major revenue stream for food banks. Roughly 75% of dollars that come to the food bank are raised by the public, and every dollar raised through the Valley Food Relief program goes to the food bank’s wholesale food budget.
“With heightened economic pressure, we see a lot more people turning to us for food assistance,” said Wright. “But the pool of donated products and money starts drying up at the same time.”
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
Tradeoffs
Research has shown that households with children, elderly members, or individuals with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity due to higher living expenses, limited income opportunities and greater healthcare costs.
Nearly two-thirds of households served by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks have reported that adults in the home have skipped meals in the past year because they did not have enough food, according to a study published this August.
The Ohio Association of Foodbanks study found that nearly 73% of households had to choose between affording food and affording gas for their cars or other transportation-related costs.
For drive-thru patrons, Foodbank Inc. would prepare not only boxes of nutritious food, but also vehicle assistance efforts.
“It is common for cars coming through our drive-thru to break down or run out of gas because they can’t afford maintenance or repairs,” Wright said. “We have a dedicated staff member with a jump-pack on site during our distributions to help out when needed.”
Wright said she’s also heard stories from mothers who significantly cut back on their portions so that their children can have enough to eat. Senior patrons, too, skip out on medication or even put off surgeries like knee replacements because of their restricted incomes.
State assistance
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services issues monthly reports regarding the number of public assistance recipients in the state. The department’s most recent report, from July, shows 46,427 total households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in Montgomery, Greene and Preble counties.
Roughly 64.3% of SNAP recipients who are also served by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks reported that they exhaust their SNAP benefits in two weeks.
Pandemic emergency SNAP benefits, which added to recipients’ monthly allotment based on income and household size, ended last year.
Foodbank Inc. and other food banks advocate for the funding of and accessibility to SNAP, viewing the temporary assistance fund as a way to reduce food insecurity in communities.
“Strong state and federal nutritional programs are incredibly helpful to food banks,” she said.
Addressing hunger
Foodbank Inc. volunteer Sharon VanAusdal said need in the community is high, but efforts to cut down hunger are also growing. She applauded both the Foodbank and local efforts to create outdoor, communal food pantries.
“Sometimes people don’t know somebody is right there to help them out,” VanAusdal said. Her volunteer group was sorting donations and repacking food items for area pantries to access.
She said community members who are able to volunteer time or food to pantries should keep in mind items that may benefit families more than others. Peanut butter, for example, is a helpful option because of its shelf life and favor among children.
The region’s pantries and food bank are also working to shorten the food line.
Wright said Foodbank Inc.’s soon-to-be community building, which broke ground last month, will help community members apply for SNAP benefits and access medical exams. It will also have an on-site probation office and a commercial kitchen, among other services. Foodbank Inc. is also involved in workforce efforts, particularly for people reentering the community after incarceration.
“Our goal is to get people self-sustained so they no longer need our help,” Wright said.
About the Author
