Though there are signs the U.S. economy is strong, millions of Ohioans are still struggling to afford the basics. And in the 17 months since the federal government ended pandemic-related emergency food benefits, demand has been rising at foodbanks and food pantries in Ohio.
Before the pandemic, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks said the state’s 12 regional foodbanks were serving about 2 million Ohioans each quarter.
“And now we’re serving 3.6 to 3.8 million food pantry visitors every quarter. We had never hit more than 3 million food pantry visits in a quarter. And now we’re approaching 4 million in a quarter,” said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.
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