Tradeoffs between food, basic needs more prevalent among Ohioans

By Nadia Ramlagan

Food pantry visitors in Ohio said they are more financially squeezed than ever and have had to make tough decisions between buying groceries and paying bills for utilities or medicine, new data show.

Rising food costs, inflation, limited household resources and chronic health conditions continue to drive demand at food banks in the Buckeye State and across the country.

Audrey Vanzant, communications director for the Ohio Association of Food Banks, said more than half of people in food pantry lines, even with the assistance of federal programs, are being forced to make difficult decisions.

"This includes 63% who had to decide between affording transportation or affording food, 45% who had to decide between affording rent and affording food, and 48% who had to choose between medicine and affording food," Vanzant outlined.

The food bank, which released the survey, found more than half of households reported at least one member had to skip meals in the past year. Among them, nearly 60% said they skipped meals every month.

Vanzant added many survey participants reported SNAP benefits are not stretching long enough into the month. The data show 78% of people exhausted their benefits within the first three weeks and around a quarter exhausted their benefits within a week.

"They're still finding that their benefits aren't stretching as far, which is in turn bringing them back into our lines because the dollar's not stretching as far in the grocery store," Vanzant explained.

Half of households surveyed had at least one member employed during the past year. Among households without employment, 48% reported a household member was unable to work because of a disability or illness, 38% were retired, and 11% were serving as a caregiver.