Ohio SNAP-Ed classes end Oct. 1, raising food budget concerns

By Farah Siddiqi

Ohio’s SNAP-Ed program, the free nutrition-education arm pairing with the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, will shut down Oct. 1 under the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” ending school lessons, pantry demos and grocery-on-a-budget classes many low-income families rely on.

In 2024, Ohio SNAP-Ed partnered with more than 1,200 organizations, reaching 37,000 adults and 245,000 youth.

Eliza Richardson, nutrition programs coordinator for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said the end of SNAP-Ed erases more than cooking tips, it takes away tools helping families manage their health on tight budgets.

"We often get reports that people utilize SNAP-Ed resources and nutrition education to manage their diet-related diseases," Richardson pointed out. "A SNAP-Ed participant with diabetes has been able to manage her disease with diet and exercise."

Richardson later shared participants credited SNAP-Ed when they lost more than 50 pounds and no longer needed insulin, showing how education translates into long-term health gains. For nearly three decades, SNAP-Ed has taught practical, low-cost cooking, meal planning and label-reading skills. Instructors are often embedded inside schools, senior centers, Head Start programs and food pantries.

Tanner Cooper-Risser, SNAP-Ed PSE specialist for Ohio State University Extension in Knox County, said the impact of the program shows up in everyday kitchen choices.

"I had one senior who came to my series of classes and talked about how she loved one of the soups that we made," Cooper-Risser recounted. "A lentil soup, and she had never really cooked with lentils before, and now she’s been making that specific lentil soup once a week and adding it to her recipe. Lentils are a great item you can get at food pantries, and a lot of times people don't know what to do with them."

With food prices still high, advocates warn Ohioans are losing an evidence-based tool to helps stretch SNAP dollars and improve diet-related health. The extension service and food banks plan to point families to surviving online materials like Celebrate Your Plate but gaps are expected without in-person teaching, especially in rural counties and among first-time food pantry users.