Hunger persists in Cleveland as families face aid cuts
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Hunger remains a stubborn reality in Cleveland, and recent state and federal budget cuts are making it worse.
Why it matters: Advocates say the funding cuts come as demand for help is surging. Food bank visits in Ohio are up nearly 90% since 2019, even as pantries have fewer groceries to distribute.
State of play: One in five Ohio children face food insecurity, according to recent data from Feeding America reported by the Ohio Capital Journal. Yet state lawmakers reduced support for the Children's Hunger Alliance in the current budget, slashing more than a million meals.
- At the same time, Congress narrowly passed sweeping federal cuts to food aid, including what policy analysts call the deepest reduction to SNAP in history.
- About 190,000 residents in Cuyahoga County receive SNAP benefits, per Ideastream.
Between the lines: School districts are on the front lines of the hunger crisis. Some have been able to provide free meals for all students, but funding uncertainty and tighter state budgets threaten those programs.
🥫 Zoom in: In Cleveland, restaurants and nonprofit organizations are creating new programs and distribution efforts to help fill the gaps.
- Restaurateur Brandon Chrostowski launched a weekly meals program, "Stirring up Hope," in partnership with the Old Stone Church.
- It will offer free "hearty soups and stews" on Wednesdays at six locations across town, Cleveland.com reports.
Plus: "The People's Distro" launched in July to distribute food to Cleveland neighborhoods while advocating for global justice.
- Its next produce distribution is 6-8pm Thursday at the Levant parking lot in Little Arabia.
The bottom line: Across Cleveland and beyond, families are being squeezed between rising costs and shrinking aid, and hunger is becoming harder to ignore.