On a demographic level, the county’s Latino and Black residents had the highest rates of food insecurity at 33% and 30%, respectively. Additionally, 23% of children in Clark County are food insecure, the health assessment shows.
Speaking to the Springfield News-Sun, Jennifer Brunner, Second Harvest Food Bank’s development director, offered insight into just how difficult things are becoming.
“We’re in the business of wanting to work ourselves out of a job, and unfortunately, that’s not what we are seeing,” Brunner said.
Funding cuts create challenges
The health assessment showed an increase in the number of Clark County residents seeking emergency food assistance at the Second Harvest Food Bank. Last year, 56,518 people were recorded going to the food bank, an increase from the COVID-19 pandemic years when there were 42,842 people recorded going to the food bank in 2021.
“The last couple years, we have had no budget for food purchases. Half of the food we received was government-funded food, and then the other half was from wholesalers and retailers such GFS or Walmart,” Brunner said.
To compound matters, Second Harvest is one of a number of food banks to suffer from state and federal funding cuts. Financial losses the food bank sustained from cuts or cancellations to the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program and Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) amounted to $453,867 in food, according to Brunner.
“That equates to 378,222 meals. For a small foodbank like us, who did not have a budget to purchase food with half coming from the government and half from donations, that is a big loss. We provided 3.9 million meals last year so that’s almost 10% right there,” Brunner said.
Second Harvest, whose workers like to refer to their patrons as neighbors, has been pushed to find new ways to procure vital menu items. This includes securing grants to purchase food.
“We are doing everything we can to make sure that they are not feeling the pinch that we are feeling. We have had funding cuts and food shipments eliminated, which has made it very challenging to provide the same level of service that our neighbors have come to depend on and need,” Brunner said.
Being on the national stage hurt distribution
Last year, the food bank served 56,518 individuals compared to 60,000 the year before. However, they did not operate at full capacity for around a third of the year, according to Brunner. For a four-month period, their warehouse was closed for a major renovation.
Additionally, Second Harvest faced distribution issues between September and October last year after Springfield was thrust into the national spotlight during the presidential debates.
“One of our locations was Clark State, and they received bomb threats, so we had to cancel distribution there,” Brunner said.
With new SNAP requirements also being implemented, the Second Harvest director fears people will be forced to make cuts to their personal budgets.
Residents in Clark County also utilize SNAP benefits more than state and national averages. About 18.4% of people in Clark County utilize SNAP, compared to 12.4% in Ohio and 11.8% nationwide, according to the district’s health assessment.
“All of these things combined is kind of creating a perfect storm in challenges for our neighbors who are just making ends meet,” Brunner said.
About 11.3% of families in Clark County are living below the federal poverty line, compared to 9.2% statewide, the health assessment says.
“Especially with seniors, they oftentimes have to make a choice between food and medicine. Those are the two areas that take a hit and that impacts their health, then that leads to other challenges,” Brunner said.
With seniors increasingly at risk, Second Harvest is dedicating a number of efforts to raise awareness about their needs. But there remains much to be done.
“Really, food insecurity and feeding our neighbors could prevent so many other issues for people in other areas of their life. The investment in food insecurity is a smart investment. Unfortunately, it’s taking a hit right now,” Brunner said.
Stemming the tide
Brunner shared a number of ways residents can help combat food insecurity. These ranged from making donations, establishing community gardens and volunteering.
Understanding is an important first step, Brunner said.
“I think awareness can ultimately lead to action. But you have to be aware of a problem and understand it before you feel inclined to change it,” Brunner said. “Aside from food and monetary donations, we look forward to having volunteers either here or at our warehouse helping pack senior boxes, we need volunteers at our mobile distribution. We are an organization that relies heavily on volunteers.”
Last year, Second Harvest, which is run by a staff of fewer than 20 people, was supported by nearly 800 volunteers. Even contributing time just once or twice a year can make a big impact on the food bank’s operations.
Community gardens can be a helping hand
Community gardens are another way residents can help combat hunger.
“We have some really great partners in community gardens that bring us fresh produce. Even London Correctional Facility dropped off produce I think last week,” Brunner said.
One Clark County resident who knows all about the benefits of community gardens is Terry Fredrich, one of the founders of the Jefferson Street Oasis Garden.
Fredrich and his co-founders were inspired to establish Jefferson Street Oasis after their experience establishing a similar project at Grace Lutheran Church in 2008.
“There are a couple of main ways to organize a community garden. One is you have a group of people who want to do good by providing food for food insecure people and/or improve nutrition. And that group, as long as they are active and or can recruit new helpers, that garden will continue,” Fredrich said. “We started in 2010 looking at where to locate it and how it would be organized.”
The group researched gardens across the state, namely in Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Cleveland. A 70-year-old allotment style community garden in Cleveland showed them a sustainable way forward.
“The allotment style garden, I was convinced, for longevity would be the way to go. It still requires a lot of organizational structure to accomplish that and keep it going,” Fredrich said.
Fredrich recommended that, if possible, residents interested in starting a community garden do it on land they own. This will help ensure the long-term development and growth of the project. Thinking about the kind of financial support the garden may need is also important.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
“Even protection is important in terms of not just people but what I call quadrupeds: that includes deer, groundhogs, anything that wants to eat the same things we do,” Fredrich said. “So building it, building it well and maintaining it well are all part of a successful community garden.”
While Jefferson Street Oasis Garden was the recent target of vandals, Fredrich remains eager to share his knowhow and experience with members of the community.
“When I got started, I thought most of my effort and satisfaction would come from growing things, which is definitely a part of it,” he said. “But the social part is far more important in many ways.”
To see the Clark County Combined Health District’s 2025 Health Assessment, visit its website at ccchd.com/chachip.
About the Author