Ohio Association of Foodbanks Releases 2024 Hunger Study Results

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks (OAF) recently released a new report, “Hunger in Ohio 2024: A Data-Driven Profile on Ohioans Facing Hunger”. The report shares data collected from OAF’s statewide hunger survey, which included 2,301 responses from residents in 30% of all Ohio zip codes. The findings showed that an alarming number of Ohioans are being forced to choose between buying food and paying for other essential items including medication, household utilities and childcare.

OAF and its statewide network of foodbanks across all 88 of Ohio’s counties provided emergency access to take-home groceries 14.66 million times in calendar year 2023 – representing a 34% increase compared to 2022; and a stark 56% increase over the year 2019. In 2023, the OAF network also provided a record number of 14.64 million hot meals at shelters and other meal sites.

With demand on foodbanks at record levels, OAF is advocating for a $50 million annual investment in the 2026-2027 Ohio biennial budget to support food sourcing and distribution across the state. OAF is also urging Congress to strengthen federal nutrition programs through the Farm Bill such as SNAP, TEFAP, and LFPA. Read OAF’s Hunger Study here.