Just a Bite: Recent Episodes

Ohio Association of Foodbanks

Looking to learn more about the intersections between public policy, programs, and people living at or near the poverty level? Join the Ohio Association of Foodbanks external affairs team to hear about issues and topics impacting the Ohioans we serve and how you can help! Just a Bite brings you timely conversations, analysis, and insight in bite-size episodes, plus action steps you can take. Subscribe now to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!

This month, Just a Bite host, Sarah Kuhns, sits down with Joy Kostansek and Representative Sean P. Brennan to discuss how to end college hunger in the state of Ohio. As students return to campus this fall, food insecurity and hunger also return to college campuses. College students continuously face high tuition costs, and accumulating student debt, in addition to schedules loaded with heavy course work and on/off campus employment. Far too many college students are struggling to meet their basic needs as they study and learn, with concerning consequences. Joy Kostansek, the Associate Director in the Dean of Students office at the University of Cincinnati (UC), shares more about her work to support UC students in accessing their critical basic needs. State Representative Sean P. Brennan of Ohio’s 14th House District, joins us to discuss not only his passion for addressing food insecurity in our communities, but also his introduction of House Bill 590 to the Ohio General Assembly. Take a listen to this inspiring episode and learn how to fight hunger on college campuses as we enter the 2024-2025 school year.

References:

Learn more from our guests, and follow on social media!

Bearcats Pantry and Resource Center, University of Cincinnati
Instagram: @bearcatspantry , BCP Pantry and Resource Center
Representative Sean P. Brennan Bio, Ohio House of Representatives
Facebook: @brennanforohio
X: @BrennanforOhio
Analysis of House Bill 590, The Ohio Legislature 135th General Assembly, Hunger Free Campus Grant Program
Enact the Hunger-Free Campus Act, The Ohio Legislature 135th General Assembly

Research, basic needs on college campuses:

Basic Needs Insecurity During the Ongoing Pandemic, The Hope Center (2021)
Food Insecurity During College Years Linked to Lower Gradutaion Rate, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2021)
Better Information Could Help Eligible College Students Access Federal Food Assistance Benefits, U.S. Government Accountability Office (2018)

Take Action! Visit the Ohio Association of Foodbanks Hunger Free Campus Action Center to get involved!

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

Many families rely on school meals during the academic year to provide nutritious and delicious breakfast and lunch. This allows families to use their finite financial resources for other basic needs and gives them some breathing room in their monthly budgets. Unfortunately, every summer these meals are no longer available and many families have to quickly figure out how they are going to make up the difference. Thankfully, there are now options for families to provide meals for their children during the summer! Congress approved an expansion of summer feeding options including Summer EBT and Rural Non-congregate meal sites. These new offerings allow families some flexibility and dignity as they provide for their children during the summer months. Today, we explore these new options on the podcasts with our guests, Jolara O’Harra and Chrissy Musser. Thank you both for sharing your expertise and experiences with the listeners!

References:

Learn more about Summer EBT, including eligibility information, outreach materials and important FAQs at https://ohiosummerebt.org/.

Find both traditional and non-congregate summer meal sites in your area here. Remember that you can utilize both summer meals sites and Summer EBT!

Learn more about the Community Backyards program and how you can use the program to support your own garden.

Learn more about Produce Perks and how you can double both SNAP benefits and Summer EBT benefits for your family.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

In this episode, Audrey sits down with two incredible experts in the field to celebrate all things Pride. Join us is an hour worth of meaningful conversation concerning the complexities of the LGBTQ+ community, the support they need, and a shout of incredible resources we have right here in Ohio. Joining us is Oliver Licking, Gender Equity Policy Manager at Equitas Health, a non-profit community health center and one of the largest LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS serving healthcare organizations in the country, serving patients in Ohio, Texas, Kentucky and West Virginia. And Erin Upchurch, Executive Director at Kaleidoscope youth center, the largest nonprofit in Ohio dedicated solely to serving and supporting LGBTQ youth.

References:

Check out the Feeding America podcast, Elevating Voices, Ending Hunger here, as well as the Williams Institute research referenced.

You can also find the book, Untamed by Glennon Doyle, referenced by Erin.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

Untamed

With this year’s tax season ending, our Just a Bite host, Sarah, interviewed two experts to discuss the need for an equitable tax code and progressive revenue in Ohio and to highlight the important solutions to make that happen.

Sarah first talks with Bailey Williams, a tax researcher from Policy Matters Ohio, who answers questions like, why are taxes and revenue so important? What targeted tax relief can we establish for families? And why is eliminating the state income tax such a harmful policy for Ohioans with low and moderate incomes?

After speaking with Bailey, Sarah talks with Benisha Wright, an advocate and directly impacted Ohioan who talks about what the child tax credit in 2021 meant for her family and countless other Ohio families. She shares that since that tax relief has expired and inflation has only continued to grow, she is increasingly concerned about her ability to make ends meet. We also explore the benefit cliff that she and so many others have experienced as they grow in their careers and earn raises for their hard work, the difficult catch-22 that they are put in to balance their new income and expenses without the support of benefit programs.

If you would like to take action to push our elected officials to take up equitable tax policies, please share your Child Tax Credit story with us through this form. You can also call on your U.S. Senators to pass a bipartisan child tax credit here.

References:

Listen to the press conference for the introduction of the Thriving Families Tax Credit, with Benisha’s remarks starting at 4:29 mark.

See the media coverage from the press conference and coverage highlighting the Thriving Families Tax Credit:

Ohio House Dems introduce ‘priority investment’ with family tax credit, by Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohio foodbanks say Thriving Families Tax Credit could help reduce hunger, by Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service
Ohio lawmakers introduce legislation to help families put food on the table, by Remi Murrey, News 5 Cleveland

See the various research papers done by Policy Matters Ohio making the case for an equitable tax code in Ohio:

Increase family security and expand opportunity in Ohio: the case for a state-level thriving families tax credit, by Will Petrik
Tax policy for the people: Give Ohio families a break with refundable tax credits, by Bailey Williams, Will Petrik, Chloe Gonzalez, and Zach Schiller
Ohio needs a property tax circuit breaker: Targeting help to those who need it, by Zach Schiller
The great Ohio tax shift, 2022: How state tax policies indulge the rich at the expense of Ohio families, by Guillermo Bervejillo

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

In this episode, Audrey sits down to talk about a wide variety of topics concerning women’s health, livelihood, and the changes still to be made as we celebrate Women’s History Month. Our expert for this episode is the incredible Elizabeth Brown who currently serves at the President and CEO for the YWCA of Columbus, Ohio, a nonprofit organization whose mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Elizabeth previous served as council member for the city of Columbus for seven years where her work included broadening access to opportunity and strengthening women and families. We encourage you to read Liz’s full bio here to learn more about all the incredible work she has done.

Thank you, Liz, for joining us and for shining light on such meaningful topics. We’d also like to thank Hope at OAF who previously worked with Liz and can be heard throughout the podcast, participating in the conversation with us!

References:

Check out Liz full bio from her time as a council member and about the work she is currently doing at the YWCA Columbus, Ohio.

Call to action for the YWCA, here.

Learn more about period poverty from leaders in the field like, Aunt Flo, here.

Although we do not believe the Free the Tampon website has been active since 2020, we still wanted to share as it was a cool part of Liz’s story!

Learn more about the maternal health crisis and how critical nutrition programs, like WIC, can help on our 2022 episode “Let’s Talk Maternal Health for Mother’s Day”.

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Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

This Black History Month, Just a Bite hosts, Hope Lane-Gavin and Chloe Meyers, interview our great partners through the Ohio CAN program. Our hosts and our friends from the Regenerative Farmer Collective talked about the dichotomy of farming: how painful yet healing it can be as Black farmers to continue to work among the earth and grow as their ancestors did. They shared stories about how the joys and challenges as Black farmers, how they mentor and support one another, and what more needs to be done to rectify the horrific wrongs that white Americans and Europeans did when they kidnapped the first Africans and brought them to Virginia as slaves in 1619. We still see the lasting impact slavery has had on Black Americans to this day. Take a listen to this emotional, powerful conversation as we celebrate this Black History Month.

References:

Learn more from our guests and support their farms:

Tia Stuart of Narrow Way Farm
Sharifa Tomlinson of Arrowrock Farm an Urban Sanctuary
Watch Sharifa share how Ohio CAN was beneficial for her and her farm
Christine Irby of Irby’s Old School Farm
Watch their youtube channel!
Khalid Karriem of Farm Right Natural Fruits and Vegetables (Trotwood, Ohio)

Learn more about Ohio CAN and other farmers Ohio foodbanks partner with in our previous episode “Getting to know some Ohio Farmers through LFPA”.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

Food assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) play a pivotal role as the primary line of defense against food insecurity for numerous individuals. However, gaining access to SNAP benefits and related programs poses challenges not only for everyday Americans and Ohioans but also for those currently incarcerated. In Ohio, individuals within the correctional facilities preparing for release within 30 days can benefit from SNAP INreach, a program facilitated by Ohio's foodbank network. Holding the SNAP outreach contract for nearly 15 years, Ohio's foodbank network strives to extend support. Presently, eight out of our twelve network foodbanks are actively engaged, with four of them consistently conducting monthly corrections-in-reach. As of this recording, Ohio has 28 state-run corrections facilities, with SNAP outreach workers going into 25 of 28 facilities once per month to assist interested inmates to be released within 30 days with their SNAP applications if they so choose. Our network goal in 2024 is to have presence in all 28 state-run corrections facilities. To explore and talk about this critical work for post release success, your Just a Bite hosts have a conversation with our dedicated colleagues, Bailey Clearly-Foeller with Mid-Ohio Food Collective and Robert Zohfeld with Shared Harvest Foodbank who are doing this critical work every day.

References:

For more information on SNAP and the impact it has on Ohioans, check out our previous episodes titled, SNAP Outreach: Thoughts from the Field and our more recent episode titled, Ohioans on SNAP Share Their Stories.

To hear more on the impact of incarcerations, check out our episode titled, Re-entry after incarceration where we hear directly from an impacted Ohioan who is now a wonderful colleague of ours, Mary Evans with the Foodbank, Inc in Dayton, Ohio. This particular episode focuses on the “-isms” that play a major part in stability including food security and recidivism rates.

For those who are formerly incarcerated, Mary shared a resource that helps connect, lift up, and consult fellow system-impacted individuals, From Prison Cells to PhD.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

In this episode, Sarah talks with two amazing partners the Ohio Association of Foodbanks works with through the Ohio Community + Agriculture + Nutrition (CAN) Program, funded through the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program. Jamie Pritchard joins us from WIT Farm and Walt Bonham joins from the Food Lab and the Richland Gro-Op. We talk about the importance of local food systems, the historical context that makes it difficult for BIPOC farmers and other farmers left out of USDA programs to scale and grow, and how local farms are innovatively collaborating with one another to expand their reach and impact.

Thank you, Walt and Jamie, for joining us and thank you to Carrie at OAF and Ainsley at Ohio Department of Agriculture for listening in and participating in the conversation with us!

References:

Check out Jamie’s family-owned business, WIT Farm at their website, on Instagram and Facebook.

Check out Walt’s business, The Food Lab, and the Richland Gro-Op. You can find the Richland Gro-Op on Instagram and Facebook and the Food Lab on Facebook.

Visit Walt and other farmers at the North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC) farm and volunteer with them!

For the farmers listening, here is the podcast Jamie mentioned, My Digital Farmer Podcast, by Corinna Bench from Shared Legacy Farms. You can also check out Corrin’s Farm Marketing School here.

Listen to our previous episode on Ohio CAN with representatives from Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Learn more about the Ohio CAN program here.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

Food insecurity doesn’t stand alone and is simply a symptom of one or more -isms: racism, sexism, classism, ableism, ageism, capitalism. What you may not know, however, is that other symptoms of these -isms include un-or-underemployment, lack of affordable housing, poor health, and crime. Violence and crime are disproportionately higher in areas and communities with poor public education, lack of community investment and economic opportunity. Additionally, these communities are often over policed, poverty stricken and traumatized and crime is often committed to ensure necessities are met or so that the pain is eased. Incarceration is rarely the answer for those who just need opportunity. Incarceration does not alleviate the systemic challenges individuals faced prior to incarceration; in fact, it fuels it by perpetuating disparities. To explore and talk about this vast, nuanced, and interconnected problem, your Just a Bite hosts have a conversation with Professor Karen Benton at Clark State College to talk about the context and connection between access to basic needs and recidivism rates, why food and other basic needs are so critical once someone is released, and what innovative programs are available in Ohio to support system-impacted individuals as they are release. After talking with Karen, you will hear us speak with Mary Evans, Re-entry Manager at the Foodbank, Inc in Dayton and returning citizen herself to talk about her experience being system-impacted and to share her expertise when it comes to supporting folks post-release.

References:

Check out Re-Entry Stories and West Dayton Stories produced by Mary Evans at WYSO.

Mary is also the co-founder of The Journalism Lab, a collaborative that empowers citizen correspondents to learn the foundations of journalism and report on what is happening in their local communities.

“It’s my mission to give my community a voice” by Mary Evans, in Dayton Daily News.

For those who are formerly incarcerated, Mary shared a resource that helps connect, lift up, and consult fellow system-impacted individuals, From Prison Cells to PhD.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

This episode might be a tear-jerker! The association’s director emerita, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, and executive director, Joree Novotny, join Just a Bite. The two leaders take the time to celebrate Lisa’s legacy and lifelong commitment to Ohio’s most vulnerable and reflect on Joree’s vision for the future of the association and her tenure. During this episode, they share what their successes and challenges are, how they have been feeling during the transition, and what they are looking forward to in the future.

Thank you to the countless partners, foodbankers, and staff who have congratulated Lisa and Joree, wished them well, and recounted memories shared with them! We want to especially thank Kelly Hatas of Hocking Athens Perry Community Action/Southeast Ohio Foodbank, Kristin Warzocha of the Greater Cleveland Foodbank (GCFB), Matt Habash of Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC), Michelle Riley and Lee Alder of the Foodbank, Inc, Juanita Burden of MOFC, Jess Morgan of GCFB, Tim White of MOFC, Carrie Dennis of OAF, and Jessica Renwick of OAF for sharing their well wishes and thanks with Joree, Lisa, and our listeners!

References:

Learn more about the leadership transition announcement here.

Listen to our podcast episode about Lisa’s induction into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame for her tireless commitment to feeding hungry Ohioans and supporting Ohio’s largest sector, agriculture.

Listen to Lisa reflect on the Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ 30th anniversary with Tina Osso, former executive director at Shared Harvest Foodbank who was instrumental in establishing the association.

Watch the State of Ohio show on WOSU/PBS, with a segment featuring Lisa’s tenure at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks and John Corlett, executive director of Center for Community Solutions who is also retiring this year. Segment begins at 5:28.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

The public policy team at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks sits down to provide you with updates on what is happening in Congress when it comes to hunger and basic needs security. OAF’s new director of communications, Audrey Vanzant, joins Hope and Sarah to host the episode and ask the team what the listeners need to know when it comes to the debt ceiling deal negotiation earlier this year, delays in the Farm Bill, a possible government shutdown and more. Take a listen!

References:

Medicaid renewals are starting. Those who don’t reenroll could get kicked off, by Maria Godoy, NPR

The government remains open – for now. Here’s what happens next, by Kaanita Iyer, CNN

Rep Mike Johnson says avoiding shutdown is priority as House speaker, by April Rubin, Axios

Getting a new speaker may not clear hurdles to agriculture bills, by Ellyn Ferguson, Roll Call

Millions of American families struggle to get food on the table, report finds, by Maria Godoy, NPR

USDA Economic Research Service Report on Household Food Security in the United States in 2022, Released October 2023.

Feeding America Calls for Immediate Action to Address Large Increase in Food Insecurity, Released October 25, 2023

A recently released USDA Policy Memo assured that SNAP and WIC benefits will be issued through the rest of the year, regardless of government shutdown.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

As summer comes to a close and Ohio students return to school, your Just A Bite hosts wanted to highlight a huge first step when it comes to addressing childhood hunger and providing nutritious school meals for all students. We are joined by two members of the Children’s Defense Fund Ohio, Katherine Ungar and Matthew Tippit to talk about the coalition work this campaign needed to make it a success and what opportunities there are to make sure implementation of the program is successful. We talked to Tom Zsembik, food service director at Mad River Local Schools, to share his perspective about why free school meals are needed and what he sees on the ground in his community.

References:

Learn more about the Hunger Free Schools Ohio campaign at their website.

Learn more about CDF-Ohio at their website, Twitter, and Facebook.

Listen to the past Just a Bite episode with Katherine about the Hunger Free Schools Ohio coalition.

Read more about the work Tom Zsembik, food service director at Mid River Local Schools, is doing to break down barriers to nutritious school meals for the students in his community.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.          

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!           

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!         

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

It has been a little over two months since Ohio's state budget was passed and signed by Governor DeWine! Sarah is joined by three state advocates with three different perspectives to talk about how their issues fared in the budget and what they think are the opportunities to weigh in on implementation of new programs and policies. The conversation ends with what kept each of them energized and inspired during the 6 months of monitoring the budget and advocating on behalf of the people they serve.

References:

Learn more about Groundwork Ohio on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Look at their Early Childhood Dashboard and learn about their Center for Family Voice where you can listen to their podcast, Amplified.

Learn more about Ohio Poverty Law Center on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Learn more about Disability Rights Ohio on their

It is often stated that Ohio is an aging state. But what does that mean? And how do we create communities that support all of us as we age? Ohio’s older adult population is projected to increase by 21% by 2030! Unfortunately for some, food insecurity and poverty become more prevalent as they age. Recently, Ohio foodbanks have been seeing an uptick in older adults seeking help, with households with at least one Ohioan over 60 making up a third of our caseload statewide. Sarah, Just a Bite cohost, spoke with Beth Kowalczyk from Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging who gave an overview of our aging state and what policy solutions would support our older Ohioans, Sarah Brown from the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank to talk about the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and Patty, a resident from Mahoning County, Ohio about her experience navigating nutrition programs as an older adult.

References:

Find more information on the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging on their website, their twitter, and their Facebook page.

Learn more about the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank on their website, their Twitter, their Instagram, and their Facebook page.

Find your local Produce Perks location to get additional SNAP dollars for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Michael Knote of Have A Gay Day joined Just a Bite host, Sarah, to talk about the great work Have A Gay Day is doing to meet neighbors and clients where they are at and provide them with a welcoming and inclusive environment. Michael and Sarah discuss the stigma and barriers LGBTQ+ Ohioans face and their disproportionate rates of food insecurity, homelessness, and poverty. Listen to learn more about what Ohio’s hunger relief network can do to be more inclusive and break down barriers for LGBTQ+ Ohioans.

References:

Visit Have A Gay Day at their website, their Facebook, and their Twitter.

Support Have A Gay Day by donating here. If you donate $10 or more during the month of June 2023, Have A Gay Day has the chance to win a $10,000 grant to support their efforts in Montgomery County, Ohio!

Learn about the findings from the study mentioned, done by UCLA’S Williams Institute, here.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.         

SNAP recipients had been receiving extra COVID SNAP benefits for 3 years to weather the economic impacts of the pandemic. It had been a lifeline for many, where they could finally afford the foods they preferred and needed to manage their diet related diseases and feel food secure. Unfortunately, since those benefits ended in March, SNAP recipients no longer have that additional money that they used to meet their basic needs, while the side effects of COVID still remain. To get a sense of how this is impacting Ohioans, we met with 5 Ohioans who participate in SNAP to talk to them about their experiences and what they think folks need to hear when it comes to making ends meet. We extend our most sincere thanks to each of them for sharing their time and their stories.

References:

Read our 2022 brief on older adults and the impact SNAP EAs had on their lives here.

Read our recent tweet thread about the impact SNAP EAs had on older adults and the need to increase the minimum SNAP benefit.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.          

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!           

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!          

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

The primary benefit from making sure that every person has the wholesome food they need is that fewer people suffer the indignity and harm of hunger. But did you know there are many other benefits to hunger relief? Today we’re going to dive deeper into one less commonly explored way that our state-funded emergency food programs benefit Ohio: through the indirect economic activity they generate! Economist Dr. Howard Fleeter joins the podcast to talk about his Independent Economic Impact Analysis of our food purchasing programs and the economic multiplier effects that come with food assistance!

References:

Read the latest Independent Economic Impact Analysis for our State-Funded Food Programs, as prepared by Dr. Fleeter.

Review our request for increased funding for the Ohio Food Program and Agricultural Clearance Program and add your name to our list of supporters for this request.

Learn more about Dr. Howard Fleeter’s career, experience, and areas of expertise and what makes Fleeter & Associates Ohio’s premier public policy research firm.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.          

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!           

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!          

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

Will Petrik of Policy Matters Ohio comes on the podcast to talk about the recent threats to the economic security and stability of Ohioans to as well as a meaningful solution to make the state tax code more equitable, allow families to weather the high inflation they are experiencing, and ensure that families can thrive. A state funded child tax credit, or the Thriving Families Tax Credit, is extremely popular among Ohioans. Listen to learn more about what this tax credit would entail and how we could make equitable and sustainable changes to the state tax code.

References:

Find Policy Matters Ohio on their website, Twitter and Facebook.

Find Will Petrik on Twitter @WillPetrik and via email wpetrik@policymattersohio.org.

“Ohio Voters Support Taxing the Wealthy and Investing More in Workers and Families,” Evangel Penumaka & Tenneth Fairclough II, Data for Progress.

See Policy Matters Ohio’s tweet thread about the polling they conducted with Data for Progress.

“The great Ohio tax shift, 2022,” Guillermo Bervejillo, Policy Matters Ohio

“Ohio’s family budget,” Will Petrik, Molly Zelloe, Tanisha Pruitt, Piet van Lier, Michael Shields, Guillermo Bervejillo, & Zach Schiller, Policy Matters Ohio

“Setting the foundations for a thriving Ohio with a proactive tax agenda,” Guillermo Bervejillo & Zach Schiller, Policy Matters Ohio

“Ohio’s LLC loophole: Public dollars, private benefits,” Guillermo Bervejillo, Policy Matters Ohio

“Gov. DeWine’s $2,500-per-child state tax deduction does nothing for those who need it most,” Guillermo Bervejillo, Policy Matters Ohio

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.          

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!        

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!         

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

Katherine Ungar, Senior Policy Associate at Children’s Defense Fund Ohio, joins the podcast to talk about the Hunger Free Schools Ohio coalition. Sarah and Katherine talk about how important school meals are to child development and wellbeing, how free school meals can reduce household stress, increase financial stability, and lower administrative burden on families and schools, and how Ohio can get this done for its students, families, and schools.

Hope Lane-Gavin, our new Director of Nutrition Policy & Programs, joins Just a Bite to talk a little bit about herself and her perspective as a former Statehouse staffer and current advocate. With Governor DeWine releasing his budget proposal, Hope also talked about what she was encouraged to see within his proposal and what she thinks the Ohio General Assembly should debate during the state budget process. She leaves us with some advice and encouragement as advocates embark on this 6-month process!

References:  

Find Hope on Twitter @HopeFromOhio and on our website.

Learn more about the Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ funding request.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need. 

Sarah sat down OAF director of health initiatives, Zach Reat, to talk about the upcoming changes to Medicaid and the impact it will have on Ohioans. Just like the changes to SNAP and the permanent improvements to summer meals, these changes are due to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which de-coupled the Medicaid Continuous Coverage provision from the Public Health Emergency and set a clear start date for states to begin redeterminations of Medicaid cases.

Joree and Sarah sit down to discuss the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and some of the provisions related to our work and the Ohioans our network serves. This bill was passed in late December 2022; it made historic investments in child nutrition programs, but also established an end date for enhanced SNAP benefits that have helped 1.5 million Ohioans withstand high food costs and inflation. Listen in to learn more.

References:  

Want to do a SNAP benefits checkup so you know you're receiving your correct benefit amount? Visit our website to connect with a SNAP outreach partner.

Need to make sure your contact information is up to date with Ohio Department of Job and Family Services? Visit https://benefits.ohio.gov/

You can find the full bill text here.

Feeding America’s press statement on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.

OAF’s press releases thanking Governor DeWine and the Ohio Legislature for their support for purchasing Ohio-produced protein items in October 2022 and for their support for additional food purchases in December 2022.

Learn more about Advocates for Ohio’s Future’s request for more funding to county Job and Family Services offices to prepare for increased demand and call volume.

Previous Just a Bite episodes covering Child Nutrition Reauthorization and the Summer Food Service Program.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

What will the new year bring? What have been the highlights and hardships of 2022? We reflect briefly on themes of 2022 for Ohio’s foodbank network, the Ohioans we serve, and all of us. The Ohio Association of Foodbanks wishes you a happy new year, full of light and joy! We look forward to working with you toward shared prosperity and dignity for every person in 2023.

References:  

Look back with us at 2022 by reading our annual report.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Listen to the royalty free song used in this episode, O Holy Night, here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

What can bring the USDA, the Ohio Departments of Agriculture, Job and Family Services, and Education, Ohio foodbanks, and 50+ local farmers, growers, producers, and suppliers together? Ohio CAN! Joree sits down with our colleague Carrie Harshbarger as well as Tracy Intihar and Ainsley Lightcap from the Ohio Department of Agriculture to talk about this new public-private partnership that strives to both stabilize and expand markets for local farmers while meeting the nutritional needs of Ohioans experiencing food hardship.

References:  

For more information about the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) from USDA Agriculture Marketing Service, visit: https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/lfpacap

Farmers and producers whose products are grown and produced within 400 miles of the city of Columbus are eligible to apply. Ohio CAN will prioritize applicants who identify as historically underrepresented, such as women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, veterans, and small, beginner and disabled farmers, as well as those whose income is derived from a public assistance program. For more information about how to get involved as a supplier, visit the Ohio CAN Program website.

Outside of this range? Each state has its own LFPA program; find state agency contacts to reach out for other opportunities here.

Read the press release from USDA Secretary Vilsack announcing an expansion of LFPA.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

We are licensed to use the song, Goals and Dreams by Boomer, which is distributed and owned by PremiumBeat.    

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

How do we as anti-hunger and anti-poverty advocates ensure that people directly impacted by policy choices are at the table and in the room where decisions are being made? Sarah talks with Brittney Madison from Northern Ohioans for Budget Legislation Equality (NOBLE) and Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN) Ohio about how they intentionally and consistently engage impacted people in their advocacy efforts.

References:  

Learn more about NOBLE at their website or email Brittney at ohiobudgetequality@gmail.com

Learn more about UHCAN Ohio at their website, on Facebook and Twitter.

Information about the advisory board that will help guide UHCAN Ohio’s and OAF’s work to connect children and parents to coverage: “Are you a parent? Are you covered by Medicaid? We are looking for a diverse group of parents with Medicaid coverage, including parents who speak a language other than English, to serve on an advisory board. The board will meet up to 6 times a year, and you will be paid well for your time! Interested? Call or text Sarah Kuhns at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks at (614) 515-7142.”

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Joree recaps some of anti-hunger priorities for the final spending package during the lame duck period of the 117th U.S. Congress after her trip to Washington, D.C. this week. OAF urges Congress to pass Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) provisions in the final spending package of the year. This ould be the first time child nutrition programs will be reauthorized and improved since 2010. Congress should also extend the Child Tax Credit (CTC), which was so vital for Ohio families to afford basic needs. Joree walks you through the process and lets you know what you can do to ensure these important provisions are passed.

OAF’s Zach Reat, Josh Newland of Valley View Health Centers, Community Action Committee of Pike County, and Julie Grasson of Toledo/Lucas County CareNet join Sarah to talk about the 10th open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace! They talk about some of the lessons learned during the early years of the ACA and what improvements to the ACA and Marketplace they would like to see as Ohio recovers from the pandemic.

You may be eligible for Marketplace healthcare coverage! Open enrollment begins on November 1, 2022 until January 15, 2023.

References:  

If you need Marketplace navigator services, you can visit getcoveredohio.org or call (833) 628-4467 to schedule an appointment or ask questions.

You can reach Josh Newland at:

(740) 937-7726 ext. 7719
jnewland@pikecac.org

Sarah sits down with Jen Miller, executive director of Ohio League of Women Voters, to talk about the upcoming election, how to make a voting plan, and why we all should vote in every election.

Make sure you make a plan to vote for the midterm election on November 8th! Learn more below about resources available to you to make voting as easy as possible.

References:  

Register to vote, update your voter registration, request an absentee ballot and more at the Ohio Secretary of State’s website here.

If you have questions or need to report a voting issue, please call or text the non-partisan election protection hotline at (866) OUR-VOTE or (866) 687-8683.

For Spanish speakers: (888) VE-Y-VOTA or (888) 839-8682
For Asian languages: (888) API-VOTE or (888) 274-8683
For Arabic speakers: (844) YALLA-US or (844) 925-5287

Find the League of Women Voters voter guide at https://www.vote411.org/

Learn about your judicial candidates and Ohio’s court system at https://www.judicialvotescount.org/

Find the early vote schedule at your local Board of Elections here.

Find your polling location for election day here and learn more about voter ID requirements here.

Learn more and connect with the Ohio League of Women Voters on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and <!--

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With a diverse group of foodbank directors, Joree discusses the situation that our foodbank network is facing. They discuss the striking increase in need, the unsustainable food purchasing they must do, and the failing infrastructure that needs repair. These foodbank directors are all experiencing similar challenges, all while dealing with unique regional disparities and differences.

References: 

Learn more about our state American Rescue Plan Act request here. Understand what circumstances our neighbors are facing that lead them to our foodbank and food pantry lines.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.    

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!     

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!    

September is Hunger Action Month – a month to drive awareness about and encourage supporters to take action against hunger. But why do we need a #HungerActionMonth? And what can each of us do to be a meaningful part of efforts to end hunger? Your Just a Bite co-host, Joree, brings you this thought-provoking oral essay to give listeners something to chew on as we kick off this month of awareness and action. 

References:  

Wear orange on Hunger Action Day, September 23rd, and tag us @Ohiofoodbanks.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.    

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!     

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!    

We are licensed to use the song, Goals and Dreams by Boomer, which is distributed and owned by PremiumBeat.  

Classes are back in session, and we are kicking off fall semester with a discussion with the Food Research & Action Center’s SNAP Deputy Director, Andrew Cheyne. We talk about the temporary expansion of SNAP eligibility for college students, the ‘broke college student’ trope, and how we can work to permanently expand access to SNAP and better meet the needs of current college students.

References: 

Do you think you may be eligible for SNAP? You can connect to resources HERE.

Follow FRAC on their website, on their blog, through their email newsletter, on Twitter @fractweets and their Facebook page. Follow Andrew on his Twitter @cheyne_andrew.

Learn more about the bills FRAC is supporting, including the EATS Act.

U.S. Government Accountability Office Report on “Food Insecurity: Better Information Could Help Eligible College Students Access Federal Food Assistance Benefits”

“Connecting Community College Students to SNAP,” report by Ashley Burnside and Parker Gilkesson of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and Patricia Baker of Mass Law Reform Institute (MLRI)

“Need to address college student hunger gains well-deserved attention and momentum”, by Hope Lane-Gavin, the Center for Community Solutions

The Hope Center on Colleg

Your Just a Bite host, Joree, reflects on and provides context to the induction of Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ executive director, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt to the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame. Lisa was recognized and celebrated this month for her contributions to both Ohio’s agricultural sector and food insecure Ohioans. Lisa is a fierce, compassionate leader and advocate for Ohioans facing food insecurity and poverty. The Ohio Association of Foodbanks is proud to call her our leader and executive director and we congratulate her on this well-deserved honor! Listen to learn more about Lisa and her steadfast commitment to food insecure Ohioans and Ohio agriculture.

References: 

You can find more information about the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program, our current request for American Rescue Plan Act funds, and other efforts on OAF’s website and Twitter.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.   

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!    

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!

Your Just a Bite host, Sarah, is joined by Kimmy LoVano, Director of Advocacy & Public Education at the Greater Cleveland Foodbank, and Tim White, Advocacy Manager at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, to talk more about their roles at their respective organizations. Kimmy and Tim talk about why non-profit advocacy is so important, how they have overcome challenges, and what advice they would give to those who want to get involved. Tune into this episode to learn and get inspired from two amazing advocates!

References: 

“Second Harvest warns food for hungry might soon be rationed as donations plummet,” by Michael Fitzpatrick, The Morning Journal

Sign our petition supporting our statewide ARPA funding request here and find other advocacy actions here.

Learn more about Mid-Ohio Food Collective on their website and on Twitter @mofcollective.

Learn more about Greater Cleveland Foodbank on their website and on Twitter @CleFoodbank.  

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.   

This week, we’re going beyond the buzzwords we’re all hearing to better understand what’s truly going on economically, what’s behind the inflationary pinch we’re all feeling, and what public policy levers must be pulled to protect household stability and meet basic needs for every household. We’re joined by Guillermo Bervejillo, State Policy Fellow for Policy Matters Ohio. With a Ph.D. in economic geography and bachelor’s in economics from The Ohio State University as well as a master’s in geography from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Guille brings an incredible wealth of expertise to this conversation and peels back the layers to reveal what’s beneath the economic rhetoric.

References:

Visit Policy Matters Ohio online, take a look at Guille’s past research and testimony here, and follow Policy Matters Ohio on Twitter and Facebook

View Guille’s recent appearance on The State of Ohio, a service of Ohio’s public broadcasting stations.

Investors buy nearly one of out for Columbus-area homes in first quarter of 2022, The Columbus Dispatch, July 5, 2022

Corporate profits have contributed disproportionately to inflation. How should policymakers respond? Economic Policy Institute, April 21, 2022

Credit card balances spike to $841 billion after stimulus checks helped reduce debt, CNBC, June 9, 2022

Companies use inflation to hike prices and generate huge profits, report says, CBS News, May 27, 2022

Corporations are bragging about inflation price-gouging, Patriotic Millionaires Blog, May 6, 2022

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!

We are licensed to use the song, Goals and Dreams by Boomer, which is distributed and owned by PremiumBeat.

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’

Today, we’re taking a bit of a trip down memory lane to reflect on where we are, one year since the Ohio National Guard soldiers and airmen that were deployed at Ohio foodbanks during the height of the pandemic were decommissioned and Operation Steady Resolve ended.

References:

Reflections from Dan Flowers, President & CEO, Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, and Lee Truesdale, Chief Development Officer, The Foodbank, Inc.

Archives of Facebook Live Briefings with Adjutant General M.G. John C. Harris, Jr. and Joree Novotny, Director of External Affairs, Ohio Association of Foodbanks: April 2020 and June 2020

Ohio National Guard soldiers reflect on service at Mid-Ohio Food Collective

Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank discusses Ohio National Guard response at foodbanks

Volunteer at your local foodbank or food pantry: How to Help

Now that school is out for many Ohio children, we passed the mic to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ Director of Grocery Procurement and Child Nutrition Initiatives, Carol Whitmer, to talk about the programs that provide free meals for kids during the summer months. She speaks with Shane Hoffman of Team Vittles and Diana Davet of the Greater Cleveland Foodbank to examine the ways that summer meal programs are working for Ohio children and the ways they are not. These anti-hunger advocates speak about what they would change to make sure that no Ohio children go hungry.

References:

Find your local summer meal site on the Ohio Department of Education website here. You can also call 1-866-3-HUNGRY (486479) or text ‘FOOD’ or ‘COMIDA’ to 304-304 to find a site near you or get more information.

“Nearly half of families with kids can no longer afford enough food 5 months after child tax credit ended,” by Carmen Reinicke, CNBC

Learn more about Team Vittles on their website, on Twitter @TeamVittlesOH, and on their podcast, Join the Food Fight.

Learn more about Greater Cleveland Foodbank and their summer food programs on their website and on Twitter @CleFoodbank.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate

Nonprofit organizations have played an outsized role in responding to the pandemic, from leading the public health response to supporting families as they navigate the economic fallout from the public health crisis. Yet many health and human services organizations are facing a compounding crisis as they struggle to respond to sustained demand for their services without the funding and flexibility they need. In this episode, we talk with Michael Corey, executive director of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County, about the state of the human services sector nearly two and a half years after the pandemic began.

References:

Sign this online petition that includes a request for $100 million in ARPA funding for direct service nonprofits.

Visit the Human Service Chamber (HSC) of Franklin County’s community calendar for upcoming events where you can get involved and give back to central Ohio nonprofits. Looking for a nonprofit position in central Ohio? Visit the HSC of Franklin County's job board.

Buy a We Can Do This! t-shirt from Homage, proceeds benefit HSC of Franklin County.

Follow the HSC of Franklin County on Twitter @OneVoiceHSC

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.  

Enjoyed this episode? Please 

Global food insecurity has been thrust into the news yet again with Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are large global producers of wheat, maize (corn), and barley. The conflict not only threatens the lives of those in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees, but also threatens the global food supply and risks compounding hunger crises. We speak to William Lambers, author, journalist, and advocate, about the interconnectedness of domestic and global hunger and how we all can be better advocates for eradicating hunger both at home and abroad.

References:

Learn more about William’s work at his website: https://williamlambers.com/

“Harry Truman’s Easter push to address world hunger can inspire us today”, William Lambers, Washington Post op-ed

“The Ukraine Food Price Crisis is Just a Preview of What Could Happen as Climate Change Worsens”, Aryn Baker,

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we talk to Center for Community Solutions Health Equity Fellow Hope Lane-Gavin about the maternal and infant health issues at the front and center of today’s public policy debates. How does food insecurity disproportionately impact pregnant women, moms, and children, especially for Black and Hispanic women? How can targeted public benefit programs, like WIC, improve maternal and infant nutrition and food security, and how is Ohio doing on that front? And what should we do as anti-poverty advocates to engender change?

References:

Read Hope’s recent blog post, Lessons of Two Years of COVID-19: Impacts of an Offline System for WIC Beneficiaries in Ohio, the first in a series highlighting joint research with Children’s Defense Fund – Ohio.

Learn more about other recent public policy work in Ohio related to maternal and infant health in The Center for Community Solutions State Budgeting Matters maternal and infant health issue.

Vice President Kamala Harris Remarks on Improving Maternal Health

Follow Hope on Twitter @HopeFromOhio and The Center for Community Solutions @CommunitySols

More reading about the disproportionate impact of the pandemic-driven recession on Blac

Happy Earth Day! Sarah speaks with one of the visionary leaders in the climate-smart agriculture space, A.G. Kawamura. They talk about the strong partnerships between farmers, growers and producers and their local foodbanks, the U.N. sustainable development goals, and what A.G. calls the agricultural renaissance. They discuss what investments farmers need in the 2023 Farm Bill to continue making strides toward more sustainable agriculture, where we work with the land instead of against it.

References:

Learn more about the U.N. sustainable development goals.

Check out A.G.’s national nonprofit, Solutions from the Land, and their recent report, 21st Century Agricultural Renaissance. View more resources from Ohio Smart Agriculture: Solutions from the Land, co-chaired by our executive director, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt.

Check out what A.G. is doing locally to combat hunger, develop urban agriculture, and educate the community about farming in Orange County, California with Solutions for Urban Ag.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!  

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions! 

In this episode, Sarah meets with the association’s executive director, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, and the president & CEO of Second Harvest Foodbank of North Central Ohio, Julie Chase-Morefield. They discuss what Ohio’s foodbanks are experiencing amid rising costs and supply chain shortages and what makes these two foodbank leaders proud to lead, especially during these challenging times. They round out the discussion by talking about what they hope to see over the course of the upcoming year and what opportunities there are on both the state and federal levels to support our foodbanks and the clients we serve.

References:

See our ARPA request and our tweet thread detailing our request.

With inflation, supply-chain kinks, plight of Ohio food banks grows, by Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal

Ohio food banks urge lawmakers to take action amid ‘impossible scenario’ for many families, by Lisa Hamler-Fugitt and Daniel R. Flowers, Akron Beacon Journal Opinion

Support the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio through the annual Harvest for Hunger Campaign, going on now.

Apply to serve through one of our many AmeriCorps VISTA positions, available throughout Ohio, or encourage someone you know to consider national service.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.

Make sure you are getting all the tax credits that you are entitled to here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!  

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and 

In this episode, Joree speaks to Kam McKenzie, manager of SNAP outreach at the Freestore Foodbank, and Katie Gedeon, outreach manager at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and their work in connecting clients to SNAP and other benefits. They discuss how their work has changed because of the pandemic and what they would change about SNAP enrollment to make it easier and better for clients.

References:

Learn more about SNAP outreach and how to get help here.

Listen to our primer on the Thrifty Food Plan and SNAP here.

Are you an older adult enrolled in SNAP or do you know an older adult enrolled in SNAP? Fill out our survey interest form here.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.

Make sure you are getting all the tax credits that you are entitled to here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!  

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions! 

We are licensed to use the song, Goals and Dreams by Boomer, which is distributed and owned by PremiumBeat.

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

In anticipation of AmeriCorps Week next week (March 13-19), we show our appreciation for all our AmeriCorps members – both past and present – that have built the capacity of our network, committed to serving their country and community, and have deeply impacted their colleagues, their host sites, and the communities they serve. In this episode, Joree interviews our director of community services, Maureen Allen, and our national service program coordinator, Carrie Dennis, about what makes service to your country and community so special.

Thank you to AmeriCorps VISTA members Carl Alcorn, Destiny Braden, Adam Householder, Amanda Draeger, and Tracy Excell for sharing their experiences and their impact with Just a Bite!

References:

Find open AmeriCorps VISTA positions within our network here.

Learn more about AmeriCorps Week here.

Read about the history of AmeriCorps.

Make sure you are getting all the tax credits that you are entitled to here.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!  

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions! 

We are licensed to use the song, Goals and Dreams by Boomer, which is distributed and owned by PremiumBeat.

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.

It’s 2-22-22, on a Tuesday no less! Yes, today is the last palindrome date until January 20, 3021 and since neither of us plan on being alive in a millennium from now, your Just a Bite podcast duo wanted to celebrate Twos-day with a look-back at some other important dates related to food security, nutrition, poverty, foodbanking, and more. Join us for a discussion about some of the data and dates of our past and present on this Twos-day!

References:

Feeding America: History of Food Banks

Feeding America: Our Lawmakers Must Invest in TEFAP

Congressional Research Service TEFAP Background and Funding

“2 years after Hesiman speech, Burrow’s contribution still being felt by Ohio food pantry,” Whitney Harding, NBC4

AOF Public Benefits Eligibility Infographic

AOF Winter 2022 Family Checklist

Make sure you are getting all the tax credits that you are entitled to here.

Email and call your U.S. representative to support an additional $900 million in TEFAP funding.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here. <!--

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Sarah spoke with Lauren Jones, a professor in the Department of Human Sciences and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, about the expansion of the enhanced Child Tax Credit. Lauren walks the listeners through some of the leading research about cash payments and tax credits to families and its benefits to the children receiving these payments. Professor Jones also addresses the common misconceptions about the enhanced Child Tax Credit, explaining why these arguments may be inconsistent with the research. We hope that listeners walk away understanding the Child Tax Credit as an anti-poverty, anti-hunger policy by the end of this episode.

Resources: 

The letter signed by 400+ economists, including Professor Jones, urging Congress to make the enhanced Child Tax Credit (CTC) permanent.

“Expanded Child Tax Credit should be made permanent, research says” by Lauren E. Jones, Columbus Dispatch Opinion

9 in 10 Families with Low Incomes are using Child Tax Credits to Pay for Necessities, Education by Claire Zippel, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

U.S. Census Bureau Week 40 Household Pulse Survey

“The Anti-Poverty, Targeting and Labor Supply Effects of the Proposed Child Tax Credit Expansion” by Kevin Corinth, Bruce Meyer, Matthew Stadnicki, and Derek Wu, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago

“Estimating the Net Fiscal Cost of a Child Tax Credit Expansion” by Jacob Goldin, Elaine Maag, and Katherine Michelmore, National Bureau of Economic Research

“The Effects of Child Tax Benefits on Poverty and Labor Supply: Evidence from the Canada Child Benefit and Universal Child Care Benefit” by Michael Baker, Derek Messacar and Mark Stabile, National Bureau of Economic Research

“Child cash benefits and family expenditures: Evidence from the National Child Benefit” by Lauren E. Jones, Kevin Milligan, and Mark Stabile, Canadian Journal of Economics

Sarah has a conversation with Kelsey Bergfeld and Sarah Hudacek from Advocates for Ohio’s Future (AOF) about their work around the allocation of American Rescue Plan Act discretionary funds and the need for the state to engage in a transparent process and solicit public input to allocate those funds. As a partner of AOF who is anticipating ever-growing need in our foodbank lines, AOF is supportive of our $183 million request for ARPA funds to address immediate needs and support strong and equitable recovery so that Ohio can continue to weather future crises.

Resources: 

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks Request for ARPA Funds

“Ohio foodbanks starting to go hungry,” by Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal

“Org leaders: Health, food security should be top priority in ARPA spending,” by Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal

State of Ohio: “Supremes Throw Out GOP Maps, COVID Effect on the Hungry,” hosted by Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau

“How States Can Best Use Federal Fiscal Recovery Funds: Lessons from State Choices So Far,” by Ed Lazere, Center on Budget & Policy Priorities

Visit the Advocates for Ohio’s Future website for more information on the American Rescue Plan and their other work.

Connect with Advocates for Ohio’s Future on Facebook and Twitter.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.  

Enjoyed this episode? Please 

Happy 2022! To kick off the year, Joree and Sarah give listeners a run down of what 2022 has in store for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks advocacy agenda. We predict that 2022 will be a busy year on both the state and federal levels, with the continued implementation of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) at the state level, the possible end of the public health emergency, the Build Back Better Act (still!), Child Nutrition Reauthorization, preparation for the next state budget and the Farm Bill, and more. Everything feels very uncertain right now, but we are hopeful for the future. We are ready to get to work!

Resources: 

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks Request for ARPA Funds

“Ohio foodbanks starting to go hungry,” by Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal

“Supporting food banks of Ohio,” column by Senator Sherrod Brown, Wilmington News Journal

Want to help spread the word? Click here to order free marketing materials, and find template social media content at getcoveredohio.org/outreach. Connect with Get Covered Ohio on Twitter and Facebook.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.  

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!   

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In this mini-episode, Sarah and Joree close out the year by sharing some of their favorite holiday traditions, reflecting on the particular mixed bag that is Christmas 2021, and sending everyone off with a couple of favorite budget-friendly recipes to ring in the new year.

References:

Org leaders: Health, food security should be top priority in ARPA spending, Ohio Capital Journal

Recipe for budget-friendly cabbage and noodles here (courtesy Fox Valley Foodie)

Recipe for budget-friendly oven pancakes here (courtesy of All Recipes - Joree's grandmother's version replaces the butter with vegetable oil)

bell hooks, groundbreaking feminist thinker, dies at 69, PBS News Hour

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!  

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and 

In this episode, we gave our Director of Health Initiatives, Zach Reat, the mic to interview our partners at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They talk about our Navigator program, our valued partnership with CMS, and how the work of connecting individuals to healthcare coverage has shifted because of the pandemic.

Resources: 

2022 Open Enrollment for Healthcare coverage is here! You can make an appointment to shop for the health care plan that’s right for you with our Get Covered Ohio Navigators here or by calling (833) NAV-4INS (628-4467).

You can access social media toolkits and other outreach materials from CMS (theme weeks) here.

Here is the newly released data from CMS that was referenced in this episode.

You can contact our partners in the Office of Program Operations and Local Engagement at CMS if you have any questions or if your organization wants to get involved:

Gregg McAllister: Gregg.McAllister@cms.hhs.gov

Brenda Delgado: Brenda.Delgado@cms.hhs.gov

Want to help spread the word? Click here to order free marketing materials, and find template social media content at getcoveredohio.org/outreach. Connect with Get Covered Ohio on Twitter and Facebook.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.  

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we up

Food insecurity doesn’t occur in a vacuum. In this episode, we talk to Ohio Association of Foodbanks director of health initiatives Zach Reat about one of the ways in which we address the intersections between food insecurity and health – access to affordable health coverage! Tune in for Zach’s expert insights about why a hunger relief organization like ours is involved in this space, the policies and people that are helping to promote better access to quality care, and how you can be involved.

Resources: 

2022 Open Enrollment for Healthcare coverage is here! You can make an appointment to shop for the health care plan that’s right for you with our Get Covered Ohio Navigators here or by calling (833) NAV-4INS (628-4467).

Want to help spread the word? Click here to order free marketing materials, and find template social media content at getcoveredohio.org/outreach. Connect with Get Covered Ohio on Twitter and Facebook.

To learn more about Ohio's progress toward health value, read the Health Policy Institute of Ohio’s 2021 Health Value Dashboard.

Mentioned in this episode: Medical Debt Is Crushing Black Americans, and Hospitals Aren’t Helping, Bloomberg Businessweek + Equality

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.  

The navigator project disc

Sarah has a conversation with our executive director, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, and the now-retired founding director of Shared Harvest Foodbank, Tina Osso. Tina was instrumental in founding the association and formally bringing the network of Ohio foodbanks together. As the Ohio Association of Foodbanks recognizes the 30th anniversary of its incorporation, we wanted to have a conversation with these two women who have been so instrumental in shaping the association in different ways. We discuss the origin story of the association, the evolution of foodbanking and some of Lisa’s and Tina’s personal challenges and successes in their careers.

Resources: 

2022 Open Enrollment for Healthcare coverage is here! You can make an appointment to shop healthcare plans with our Get Covered Ohio Navigators here.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.  

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!   

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest 

Joree has a conversation with Nickolas Sunday, a dedicated advocate for veterans in the central Ohio area. A Vietnam veteran and longtime director of the Ohio Department of Development Office of Community Services, Nick has since spent his retirement connecting thousands of veterans in need to various benefits and supports, like SNAP, HEAP and job coaching and placement programs. He was recently inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in recognition of his lifelong achievements. We are thrilled to have him on the podcast to discuss the issues facing veterans and military families and to reflect on his work and accomplishments.

References:

Find the Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Program’s information and services here.

Find VA locations near you to connect you to medical care and other benefits here.

Lawmakers decry ‘alarming’ hunger in US military families by John M. Donnelly

‘A national outrage’: Lawmakers seek solutions to food insecurity in military, veteran families by Karen Jowers

Military family groups press Biden to help low-income troops by John M. Donnelly

Resources:

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.

Claim your Child Tax Credit and missing stimulus payments here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!  

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and 

Sarah speaks with Maria Bruno, Public Policy Director at Equality Ohio, about the work she has done to ensure that all Ohioans are able to participate in democracy, both in her previous and current roles. They discuss the reasons why foodbanks, Equality Ohio, and other direct service providers encourage the individuals they serve to engage in our democracy and why that matters.

References:

Maria Bruno’s testimony to the Ohio Redistricting Commission on September 14, 2021.

New Survey Shows Nearly 80 percent of Ohio Households Struggled to Make Ends Meet during the Pandemic: What has helped?

Voting schedule for this year’s election

You still have time to request an absentee ballot! The deadline is October 30th at noon.
- Your absentee ballot must be postmarked on or before November 1 or be hand delivered to your county Board of Elections before polls close on November 2.
Early voting is happening NOW during select days and times leading up to election day on November 2.
Polls are open from 6:30 am – 7:30 pm on election day, November 2.

Check your voter registration, see when polls are open, find your polling place, and more here.

Take action to support LGBTQ Ohioans, including Come Play Ohio (videos support trans athletes) and family holiday cards here.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.

Claim your Child Tax Credit and missing stimulus payments here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

We are licensed to use the song, Goals and Dreams by Boomer, which is distributed and owned by PremiumBeat.

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.

Sarah speaks with our former AmeriCorps VISTA member, Ann Do, about her year of service and the start of her nonprofit career. She discusses the impact that AmeriCorps has made on her and the impact that she has made at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. She has already started her full-time position at one of the food pantries within our network, Westerville Area Resource Ministry, and we cannot wait to see the impact she makes on the children that she serves!

References:

NBC News: Pandemic unemployment benefits just expired. What will families do now? By Ben Popken

CNBC News: Almost 450 economists signed a letter in favor of extending the enhanced child tax credit by Alicia Adamczyk

Sign-on letter with more than 400 signatures from economists across the country urging Congress to make the expanded Child Tax Credit permanent, with research to back it up.

Apply to be an AmeriCorps VISTA member at one of our foodbanks or partners here!

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.

Claim your Child Tax Credit and missing stimulus payments here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

We are licensed to use the song, Goals and Dreams by Boomer, which is distributed and owned by PremiumBeat.

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.

Welcome back! Joree and Sarah discuss the recent change to the Thrifty Food Plan by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which impacts monthly benefit levels for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. Listen to hear the association’s advocacy team discuss this update and how the change will impact food insecure Ohioans!

References:

Could COVID-19 finally end hunger in America? By Helena Bottemiller Evich of Politico

USDA: SNAP and the Thrifty Food Plan

Ohio Association of Foodbanks Federal Recovery Campaign - Call and email your members of Congress that federal recovery legislation should support Ohio families

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.

Claim your Child Tax Credit and missing stimulus payments here.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

We are licensed to use the song, Goals and Dreams by Boomer, which is distributed and owned by PremiumBeat.

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.