DAYTON, Ohio — As Dayton’s Foodbank Inc., prepares for the first of its seasonal mass food distributions, Lee Lauren Trusdale hopes the mountains of produce, pantry items, and bread will be a big help in supporting hundreds of families across the Miami Valley.

Halfway into the year, Trusdale said clients are already visiting more often than they did in 2022, and after emergency SNAP allotments expired at the end of February, the need spiked again.

Now, she’s hoping to avoid a similar spike when new SNAP work requirements go into effect.

What You Need To Know

  • The debt ceiling deal expanded SNAP work requirements to those under 55.

  • There are exemptions for those with disabilities, children, veterans, or anyone currently homeless.

  • Food banks across Ohio are already seeing an increase in need.

  • SNAP benefits shrank earlier this year after emergency allotments expired.

A part of the debt ceiling deal to prevent the government from defaulting, the deal President Biden signed on Saturday requires anyone under 55 applying to SNAP to comply with work requirements, proving they work 80 hours a month, take part in a work program for 80 hours a month or some combination of the two. 

The deal also carves out exemptions for people with disabilities, children under 18, veterans, people aging out of foster care, and anyone currently homeless.

According to Ohio Jobs and Family Services, there are 1.4 million people enrolled in SNAP and 64,980 in the 50-54 age range that could be affected by these changes. Of that pool, a spokesperson estimates less than 1,000 would not meet at least one of those exemptions, though, he said the number could change as JFS does not currently collect data related to some of the new exemptions.

While the group is relatively small, Trusdale said it’s still important everyone in that age range understands the changes to the requirements and how they may apply to them.

“There are likely individuals who will miss this news. Maybe not fully know about the expanded work requirements that they are impacted by and end up losing their benefits,” she said.

In preparation for the emergency allotments to end, Trusdale said the Foodbank, Inc. opened a new position in SNAP outreach and management to assist clients with their applications and navigating the system. She said he will be in close contact with JFS to understand these new changes and get the word out to those in the Miami Valley.

“Having this new position allows us to do that and really get ahead of those needs coming down the pipeline,” she said.

Ultimately, Trusdale expects some will fall through the cracks, adding to the growing need for food access in the region.

“We’re seeing people utilizing our services more often than ever,” she said. “Last year we had folks visiting us an average of four times a year. Now we’re at 5.68 times a year that folks are coming to see us and we’re only six months into the calendar year.”

Trusdale said the Foodbank will continue to be a resource for those who may lose their benefits over the coming months and will work with clients to help them meet the new requirements.

JFS plans to contact and offer recommendations to affected SNAP recipients as soon as the agency receives guidance from the USDA.