A new Ohio bill aims to address the growing issue of food insecurity among college students. The legislation proposes establishing food resource centers on campuses across the state.

Advocates say this would ensure that students, particularly those balancing education with supporting families, have access to nutritious meals.

This initiative is getting widespread support from student advocates - including Jolara O'Harra, a parent and a student at Columbus State Community College.

She highlighted the critical role these resources play in student success.

"We all can't do anything with empty bellies," said O'Harra. "We're going to do great things and pursue all the opportunities ahead of us, but nobody can do anything if we're hungry."

O'Hara's experience is common among students balancing education and family care.

At Columbus State, the on-campus pantry - supported by the Mid-Ohio Food Bank - has been crucial in helping students focus on their studies.

Proponents of the bill believe expanding similar resources statewide could boost academic performance and student well-being.

The bill's introduction also highlights the broader issue of food insecurity within Ohio's communities, not just on college campuses.

Stephanie Dodd, the executive director of the Community Campus Coalition, underscored the importance of raising awareness about these challenges, and points to the overwhelming demand.

"When students are coming into our student resource centers looking for access to resources," said Dodd, "they are almost always telling us that food insecurity is something that they are facing."

As Ohio lawmakers consider this bill, it highlights the struggles of students balancing academics and basic needs.

Supporters believe the initiative could benefit students and the community by connecting them with essential resources and addressing food insecurity to help all Ohioans succeed.




get more stories like this via email

Almost 3.5 million Texans utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to purchase food.

The budget reconciliation bill recently signed into law by President Donald Trump cuts SNAP benefits by approximately $186 billion nationwide.

Celia Cole, CEO of the nonprofit Feeding Texas, said the state has three options to make up for the $800 million needed to keep the program operating at its current rate.

"Raising new revenue, which is not going to happen in a state like Texas, or diverting revenue from other essential services or simply cutting benefits," Cole outlined. "Worst case scenario, just walking away from the program entirely."

She pointed out the cuts will push seniors, veterans, working parents and children further into poverty. Even with SNAP benefits, more than 17% of Texans experienced food insecurity last year.

Feeding Texas is a network of food banks assisting Texans in all 254 counties across the state. Cole noted they are helping as many people now as they did during the pandemic and cuts in the federal budget will only increase the need for help.

"For every meal food banks put on the table, SNAP puts nine meals on the table," Cole emphasized. "It's the most effective way to get food to people in need. We are going to be reaching out to our supporters, our donors from philanthropy to corporations to the state government to try and make up for as much of the loss as we can."

She added fallout from the cuts will also negatively affect farmers, grocers and the overall Texas economy.

"It's not the way to go about balancing a budget," Cole argued. "We've said this before, a budget is a moral document and this one clearly fails the test."


get more stories like this via email

Now that President Donald Trump's big budget bill has been signed into law, Arkansas nonprofits that rely on federal funding to help people in need are trying to figure out how they will continue to serve their clients.

The legislation calls for cutting billions of dollars from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Lance Whitney, advocacy director with Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, said it would cost food banks across the state almost $46 million a year to continue to help those who face food insecurity.

"That does not include the cost of increased capacity needed to serve those individuals," said Whitney, "like in warehouse space, the vehicles the staffing to hand out that, the refrigeration. With those included it would ramp it up to an additional probably $10 million."

Whitney predicted that children, veterans, caregivers, and older adults in Arkansas will suffer the most because of the cuts. Arkansas has the highest food insecurity rate in the nation.

The federal government will start cost-sharing with states for SNAP benefits in 2027. The amount the government contributes to administrative costs will be cut from 50% to 25%, leaving states responsible for 75% of the total cost.

Whitney said state and local governments will have to divert money from other essential services to cover SNAP benefits.

"It can't be ignored when you have people who can't eat, health care that's going down, school lunches that can't be provided for," said Whitney. "So every community, every person in the state of Arkansas - whether you're a SNAP recipient or a Medicaid recipient, or just a community person - you're going to have a challenge with this."

The legislation expands work requirements for older adults and parents with children age seven and older.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, that could take food assistance away from more than three million adults a month.





get more stories like this via email

Oregon lawmakers would have to find an extra $850 million in the state budget starting in 2028 to cover cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill just signed by President Donald Trump.

Alex Aghdaei, policy analyst and outreach coordinator with Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, said the bill is projected to cause an estimated 100,000 Oregonians to lose SNAP coverage by 2034.

He said policymakers will face some hard choices going forward.

"We believe that there is no other option than to find the funding," said Aghdaei, "because our state simply cannot abandon the one-in-eight of all Oregonians that rely on this program to feed their families."

Aghdaei added that the bill makes more people subject to a work requirement, even though 83% of Oregon Trail Card users are already employed.

It also requires people to verify their eligibility more often, and it cuts the amount the federal government reimburses for the administrative costs of SNAP.

Aghdaei said low-income families will face similar paperwork obstacles to maintain coverage under the Oregon Health Plan because of huge cuts to Medicaid.

"Make no mistake, this bill will kill," said Aghdaei. "The level of cuts that the SNAP program will experience, in addition to Medicaid and other essential services, is frankly unheard of, and the impact in Oregon will stretch far across the state."

The legislature just concluded its 2-year session, but lawmakers will begin to address these issues in the short session next February.





get more stories like this via email