Nearly 300,000 residents in Greater Cleveland Food Bank's service area struggled to consistently access enough food in 2024, a new report shows.

Why it matters: Rising food insecurity is putting more pressure on Northeast Ohio's safety net just as looming federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program changes could shift millions in new costs to the state.

The big picture: Feeding America's recently released Map the Meal Gap report is based on 2024 data — the latest available — and shows about 15% of Ohioans experienced food insecurity.

Zoom in: The annual report estimates more than 291,000 people (nearly 16% of residents) in the six counties served by the Greater Cleveland Food Bank experienced food insecurity, up slightly from the year prior.

• Ashtabula County had the highest food insecurity rate at nearly 18%, followed by Richland (17%), Cuyahoga (16%), Ashland (15%), Lake (14%) and Geauga (10%).

State of play: In June, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank announced plans to build a new resource center on Cleveland's west side.

• The organization also received a $25 million pledge from Cleveland Clinic, with $5 million to support the new resource center.

What they're saying: "Food insecurity rarely exists in isolation," Kristin Warzocha, president and CEO of the food bank, said in a statement.

• "Families struggling to put food on the table are often facing challenges with housing, healthcare, employment, transportation, or other basic needs."

The bigger picture: Food demand could continue to rise as Ohio and other states implement federal changes to SNAP.

• Beginning in 2027, states with SNAP payment error rates above 6% will have to shoulder a share of benefit costs.
• Ohio's error rate was 6.8% in fiscal year 2025, which would have meant a potential cost of $160 million if that change were already in effect.

Yes, but: That's a substantial improvement from Ohio's 9% error rate in FY2024.

Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of the "The Odyssey" is driving high demand for the ancient Greek epic at the Cuyahoga County Public Library.

What we're hearing: Requests for Homer's roughly 500-page poem have soared this summer, a library system spokesperson tells Axios.

By the numbers: As of Thursday, there were 389 holds for the system's 57 e-book copies of various editions, and 322 holds for 87 audiobook copies.

• All 14 copies of Emily Wilson's 2018 translation — the version that inspired Nolan's film adaptation — are currently checked out, with 80 holds.

What they're saying: CCPL's Kate McCreary tells Axios that the library has also seen an uptick in inter-library loan (ILL) requests, where patrons can check books out from other library systems through CCPL.

Plus: Virtually all copies of earlier translations and adaptations for young readers are currently checked out, McCreary says.

• Book club novels with Odyssey-adjacent characters — "Circe" from 2018 and "The Song of Achilles" from 2011 — have been popular this summer as well.

The bottom line: Wilson's viral, scathing review said the film deserved credit for generating interest in the humanities in an era of streaming and declining literacy.

• "Perhaps the film will persuade a few college administrators not to cut their literature, language and history departments," she wrote.
• "Nolan, who studied English at University College London — where students still study "The Odyssey" as a first year 'foundational text' — is doing his best to get the general public reading again, and I am grateful."

📚 Your turn: Is Homer having a moment at your neighborhood bookstore, too? Hit reply and tell us what you're seeing.

🏥 Cleveland Clinic plans to invest $140 million in a 650,000-square-foot operations center at the former Ford stamping plant in Walton Hills. (Cleveland.com)

🏅 The Cleveland Restoration Society is raising money for an Ohio Historical Marker at the former home of Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens. (Ideastream)

🏡 A new Cleveland Clinic-funded housing relocation program for families affected by lead poisoning will be more restrictive than an initial pilot funded by the City of Cleveland. (Signal Cleveland)

⏱️ Worth your time: Toxic fracking wastewater is bubbling out of the ground in southern Ohio, and residents in Marietta are fighting back. (New York Times)

The Port of Cleveland and Canadian developer Milo Harbour have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a truck ferry connecting Cleveland and Wheatley, Ontario via Lake Erie.

Why it matters: The proposed service would give freight haulers an alternative to congested highway and rail routes, particularly the Windsor-Detroit border crossing, which handles roughly a quarter of U.S.-Canada merchandise trade.

By the numbers: The ferry could carry up to 300 round-trip truckloads daily, with the 55-mile crossing taking approximately two to three hours.

Zoom out: Marine transportation has the added environmental benefit of reducing diesel emissions from long-haul trucks, not to mention wear and tear on transportation infrastructure, the Port noted in a statement.

Yes, but: The ferry is currently only designed for cargo, not tourists.

What's next: The partners are targeting an early 2028 launch, pending infrastructure planning and regulatory approvals.

This week's photo was submitted by Matt Szymanski, who captured a recent sunset at a farm in Kinsman, Trumbull County.

📷 If you have a recent photo representing Cleveland's essence, please submit it by replying to this email.