Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Board of Health to enter into grant agreements with the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, the Children’s Hunger Alliance, Lifecare Alliance, and Columbus City Schools in support of their respective food distribution operations. This funding support is necessary due to the continued threatened cessation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and gaps in that funding.
According to data from Ohio Jobs and Family Services, approximately 12.8% of households in Columbus receive SNAP benefits. These benefits are crucial to preventing hunger and supporting food security among the City’s residents. Franklin County has 173,523 SNAP beneficiaries obtaining approximately $31 million per month in benefits. Additionally, Columbus City Schools estimates that approximately 29,000 students receive SNAP benefits. For many of these households, SNAP benefits constitute the primary or sole means by which they can afford to purchase food. The suspension of SNAP benefits will have immediate and severe consequences for Columbus and its residents. When those benefits are suspended, the burden of meeting basic nutritional needs falls to local government and nonprofit service providers that already operate at capacity.The city recognizes that a TRO was granted on 10.31.25, and anticipates that the benefits to eligible recipients will be made available sometime this month. Due to the gap period, however, the city is requesting emergency funding to be able to serve the community during this time.
The City’s community partners-including local food pantries-have reported an increase in residents seeking emergency food assistance since the federal government shutdown began in early October. If November SNAP benefits are not issued, the City anticipates a surge in food insecurity and hunger that will far exceed available resources.
The Mid-Ohio Food Collective is a non-profit organization that services twenty counties in Ohio, and is the large...
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