COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As Republican and Democratic leaders try to hammer out a final budget agreement, those who feed the hungry in Central Ohio say they stand to lose a lot if the governor has his way.
With the state unemployment rate nearing 11 percent and no end to the recession in sight, people are turning to places such as food pantries like never before.
"We have never seen increases like this in the history of food banking in the state of Ohio," says Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, Executive Director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks.
The organization represents twelve food banks and, in turn, supplies food to nearly 3,000 member charities. Hamler-Fugitt says the demand for food assistance is increasing by 30 percent every quarter. At the same time, food costs are up 26 percent from what they were two years ago.
She says they've been having a difficult time meeting demand as it is and says if Governor Strickland's proposed budget becomes reality, their funding will be cut by $7 million. That means they'll have $8.5 million to work with over the next two years; the same amount they received before this economic mess all began. "A loss of $7 million is a loss of 35 million meals in the state of Ohio. Those 35 million meals that we will not be able to make up," says Hamler-Fugitt. "We are fearful that another 15 percent of our agencies may close the doors."
NBC 4 contacted Gov. Ted Strickland's office. Representatives tell us these are some if the worst economic times we've faced since the great depression and the food banks have been protected in a way because funding has been kept level. They also say just about every department and state funded organization is facing cuts as well.
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