Feeding Ohio families

from the Wapak Daily News

Senator’s report shows more people need federal, state assistance

By WILLIAM LANEY

The number of Ohioans qualifying for a federally funded summer nutrition program has increased greatly in the past year, a U.S. legislator says, but only slightly more than 10 percent from the Buckeye State are taking advantage of the food assistance initiative.

“I have just issued a report and all the current trends are going the wrong way — there is more unemployment, more stagnant wages, higher cost for fuel, higher cost for food — and people are living with more expenses and no pay increases,” U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Mansfield, said Wednesday in a teleconference about a reason for the increase in those seeking assistance. “We have learned much of that is concentrated among the very young, almost half of Ohioans in poverty are under 24 years old, and that is where we have the opportunity.”

Brown released a report Wednesday from data compiled by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services which showed nearly 1 in 10 Ohioans receive food stamps, and the number of Ohio recipients of food assistance — public and private — increased by more than 7 percent statewide in 2008. The major metropolitan areas of Cincinnati,
Columbus, Dayton and Toledo reported increases of 8.49 percent, 9.35 percent, 9.21 percent and 8.86 percent, respectively, from May 2007 to May 2008 in the number of people requiring food and nutrition assistance.

Auglaize County, which is grouped with cities in the Dayton region, saw a 25.31 percent increase from May 2007 to May 2008, with 2,515 seeking assistance in May 2008, and increase of more than 500 people than the 2,007 people in May 2007.
Surrounding counties in the Dayton region reported increases, too. Logan County reported an increase of 12.87 percent, Mercer County reported an increase of 4.86 percent and Shelby County reported a 6.22 percent increase.

Allen County reported a 3.7 percent increase. In May 2007, 9,137 people were eligible for assistance and in May 2008, 9,475 people were eligible.

Brown’s report also showed Ohio’s population increased 8 percent between 1970 and 2006, while the percentage of Ohioans living in poverty increased by 43 percent. The federal poverty level is currently set at $21,200 per year for a family of four.
A family of four qualifies for assistance if they earn less than $27,560 per year, or 130 percent of the federal poverty level.

“It’s alarming that the number of Ohio families in need of food assistance has risen so rapidly in the past year,” Brown said. “We must provide immediate resources to families in need, particularly children that depend on the school lunch program for nutritious meals.”

Brown said of the approximately 500,000 children eligible for free or reduced lunches during the school year continued to be eligible for food and nutritional assistance during the summer months.

Children are eligible for as many as two free meals each day, but only 57,000 children, slightly more than 10 percent, take advantage of the program.

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