Advocate for Second Harvest Food Bank

IT'S TIME TO ADVOCATE FOR SECOND HARVEST AND ALL OHIO FOOD BANKS!

Advocacy can seem intimidating. What does it mean to advocate for an organization or a cause that you care about? We can help make it simple so that together, we can make positive changes in the lives of our neighbors. Whether it is writing a letter, sending an email, making a phone call, or sharing something on social media, each action will help us meet our goal of alleviating hunger in our region.

Raise Your Voice

One voice creates a ripple of change – use yours to rally your friends and family around the movement to end hunger. Join our Advocacy Group to fight hunger alongside your peers or lead the charge on your own and inspire others to take action. We know you care deeply about our community and have supported Second Harvest as we’ve worked to provide food to families across our region. We continue to need your help! 

Hunger Advocacy

Hunger doesn't discriminate - affecting individuals regardless of race, age, gender and the like - though it disproportionately affects minority groups. Awareness and education of these challenges is the first step to creating change and addressing policy is one of the key elements of eliminating hunger.

You can make a difference by speaking up and speaking out against hunger and its root causes. Be a hunger champion. If you’re willing to make an occasional call or send an occasional email to your elected officials when we need to make an issue impacting hungry Ohioans a priority, sign up for our ADVOCACY ALERTS. 

Important Advocacy Links:

Additional Resources:

Changes to SNAP Benefits
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SNAP EMERGENCY ALLOTMENTS ARE ENDING

Throughout the pandemic, SNAP households have received temporary additional benefits, called Emergency Allotments. These additional benefits were authorized as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and provided stability for struggling to afford food due to soaring inflation and supply shortages. All SNAP households have been receiving the maximum benefit amount possible for their household size. Every SNAP household has been receiving on average, $90 per person, per month more in benefits.

Ohio SNAP households have been receiving these benefits in two separate issuances – one toward the beginning of the month and one toward the end of the month. SNAP benefits will drop for all SNAP households in Ohio starting in March, and households will only receive the benefit amount that is issued toward the beginning of the month.

SNAP participants can call 1-866-386-3071 to check their benefit amount and their balance or use this website to check that information online. If a SNAP participant would like further help navigating their benefits, or to connect to other benefits that can help stretch household income, they can find help here.

SECOND HARVEST IS HERE TO HELP

Help those affected access our network to receive emergency food assistance.  Visit FreshTrak to find a location or call Second Harvest Food Bank at 440-960-2265.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

If you have been personally affected by the end of the SNAP Emergency Allotments, we want you to tell your story. It is vital your elected officials and policy makers know what you need and how best to help. We work through all levels of government to promote policy that enhances the quality of life for the people we serve.


Action Alert:

Second Harvest experienced a 30% decline in food received over the past several months. The declines affect our food bank and sister food banks across the state. In isolation, these issues are manageable but taken together; they are deeply concerning. Demand for food assistance remains 35% higher than pre-pandemic, with nearly 100K people receiving help since July in our 4-county region.

  • Federal foods are down over 54.7% from last year and 20% from pre-pandemic. USDA food loads are being canceled or delayed regularly due to supply chain issues.
  • In February, donated food dropped by 18% and in March by 45%. Food processors and manufacturers have few donations, and grocery store donations have declined dramatically.
  • 20 million birds have died as a result of the avian (bird) flu, affecting chicken and egg prices. Eggs increased by 60 cents a dozen in just one week. Eggs have always been a critical and low-cost source of protein for families.
  • With less food coming in, our only solution is purchasing food and grocery products. The cost per LB is currently 90 cents, up from 77 cents last year, an increase of 16.8%.
  • Food manufacturing is down across the country, and likely you’ve witnessed empty shelves at grocery stores.
  • Farm production costs (feed, fertilizer, and seed) are increasing dramatically. The war in Ukraine is disrupting the US’s fertilizer supply with both Russia and Ukraine being significant suppliers of key fertilizer components.
  • Shipping costs have tripled due to the rising cost of diesel fuel & CDL driver shortages. Our monthly fuel bill to keep our trucks on the road has doubled.
  • Extended lead times from suppliers, often without notice, make it challenging to plan and have the food we need. Typically food orders arrive in approximately 14 days.

As the end of the Public Health Emergency and additional SNAP benefits to families with children and seniors draw near, Second Harvest fears we will not be able to respond to the increased need.

We are currently asking our friends and supporters to reach out to their local officials to discuss these hunger issues we are seeing in our communities and ask them to take action on legislation affecting hunger issues. Find contact information for your local, state and federal elected officials here.