CLEVELAND — More than 400,000 individuals in Northeast Ohio rely on the Greater Cleveland Food Bank each year. After federal funding cuts and potential state cuts, the food bank is concerned about its ability to provide for people in need. 

What You Need To Know

  • There are 424,000 individuals across six Ohio counties who rely on the Greater Cleveland Food Bank

  • Over 1 million pounds of food, and potentially 20 truckloads of food, could be canceled as a result of the elimination of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement and the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

  • Greater Cleveland Food Bank Director of Advocacy and Public Education Jessica Semachko says bipartisan legislation could be the solution 

“It’s going to be increasingly difficult to be able to meet the needs of the community,” said Greater Cleveland Food Bank Director of Advocacy and Public Education Jessica Semachko. 

In Ohio, about one in seven people deal with food insecurity. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio serving people in six counties. It relies on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to supply much of the food needed to meet that need. 

“We anticipate we’ll lose about 1 million pounds of food from the cancellation of the LFPA program,” Semachko said. 

The Trump administration says it’s reducing spending and the size of the federal government; and with those cuts come two from the Department of Agriculture, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. 

“A little over 20% of the food that we receive here at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank is through federal resources,” Semachko said. “It creates a lot of uncertainty here at the food bank with our partners and our neighbors.” 

Semachko said 20 truckloads have been delayed so far and could be canceled. Each truck load contains about the same amount of fresh food that’s distributed to northeast Ohio residents each week.

“Not only is that less local nutritious food that we can distribute to the community, those are also long-term partnerships that we build with local food producers,” Semachko explained. 

Gov. Mike DeWine’s, R-Ohio, proposed state budget could result in $7.5 million in cuts to state funding for food programs. Greater Cleveland Food Bank Director of Communications Karen Pozna worries that this will affect the ability to provide when there’s an increased need. 

“We have seen that need remain high even since the pandemic ended,” Pozna said. “With increased costs at the grocery stores, inflation is so high. It’s hitting people hard.”

Semachko said that hunger isn’t a political issue and bipartisan legislation could be a solution.

“We’ve built tremendous relationships on both sides of the aisle with our members, with our federal delegation, our state delegation,” she said. “We are working with them to let them know the impact this is having on their constituents and the importance of passing a farm bill that supports farmers, food banks and neighbors.”