Second Harvest Food Bank by the numbers:
$10,097 — raised during food relief holiday campaign this year.
39 percent — of Springfield residents live in households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
$20 million per year — requested from state in the 2016-17 budget.
$265 million — in lost food assistance benefits statewide due to federal cuts to SNAP.
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The Springfield News-Sun covers all the key issues that affect the local community, including food insecurity.
With just days left in the annual Springfield News-Sun Food Relief campaign, the Second Harvest Food Bank has seen lines out the door to pick up food, but has only brought in about half the $20,000 it hoped to raise this holiday season.
Last month, the Ohio Food Banks Association reported Springfield has one of the worst poverty rates among Ohio cities. Nearly 40 percent of the population was estimated to be living in households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
That income level is considered the standard for self-sufficiency, about $39,580 annually for a family of three.
That means 4 out of 10 Springfield residents are eligible to receive aid from the food bank, a rate that makes Springfield the most food insecure city in Ohio.
“It’s understandable,” Springfield resident Carl Wilt said of the shortage of donations. “A lot of the companies, they pass around to so many different charities.”
Wilt said he visits the food bank about once a month, benefiting from the more than 6 million pounds of food distributed by Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign and Logan Counties each year.
On Tuesday there was a non-stop line of people through the door to pick up food, said Second Harvest Executive Director Keith Williamson.
“Part of it is just jobs,” Williamson said the high demand for food assistance in the area. “The only jobs around here are retail or restaurants.”
Some of the problem is the rising cost of food.
The median family income in Ohio dropped 10 percent from 2008 to 2013, according to Williamson, while food prices increased by 37 percent over the same time period.
Another issue many food bank recipients have highlighted is cuts to the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — commonly referred to as food stamps.
One local family got $83 cut from its monthly assistance, Williamson said.
The Ohio Association of Foodbanks reports that cuts and changes to SNAP implemented in late 2013 and early 2014 have totaled more than $265 million in lost food assistance benefits. That’s a loss of 195 million meals for low-income Ohioans, which is more than the network of 12 food banks distributes in a year.
Although the food relief campaign officially runs from Nov. 16 through this weekend, Williamson said donations can be made to the fund year round.
Envelopes were provided in numerous issues of the Springfield News-Sun and can be mailed to Springfield News-Sun Food Relief, c/o Security National Bank, P.O. Box 1408S, Springfield, OH 45501.
“Every dollar provides four meals,” Williamson said, because the food bank gets discount prices for buying in bulk. “Hunger is all year long.”
Donations can also be made directly to the food bank, 701 E. Columbia St., Springfield, OH 45503 or by going online to donate2help.org.
The food bank is also asking supporters who can’t donate money or food directly to be an advocate for hunger relief by contacting their representatives.
The Ohio Association of Foodbanks is requesting $20 million per year for the 2016-17 state biennial budget to support Ohio’s food banks as they struggle to keep up with growing demand.
A petition to support Ohio’s food banks can be found at ohiofoodbanks.org/advocacy.
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