Food insecurity is a barrier for many in our region. Here are national programs which Ohio supports that may be an option for those you are serving. The title of the program is link for information.

Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program

SNAP helps eligible low-income Ohioans stretch their food budgets and buy healthy food. Food assistance benefits are distributed electronically through the Ohio Direction Card, which is similar to a debit card. To apply, click here. 

The Emergency Food Assistance Program

TEFAP is a federal nutrition assistance program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Ohioans by providing food at no cost to them. This food is distributed through many of Ohio’s food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. You are eligible to receive food from TEFAP if your total household income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. These guidelines change every year; you can find this year’s guidelines at aspe.hhs.gov/ topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines. For a map to find the distribution location nearest you, click here. This map will help you find the food bank responsible for your area, and the food bank will then direct you to the nearest food pantry, soup kitchen or shelter. You must sign a statement certifying your income at the food pantry.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program

CSFP is a federal nutrition assistance program that provides low-income, elderly individuals with a monthly box of food. The box does not contain a complete diet, but provides nutrients typically lacking in the diets of the elderly population. It includes a variety of foods, such as cheese, nonfat dry and ultra-high-temperature milk, juice, oats and ready-to-eat cereal, rice and pasta, peanut butter, dry beans or peas, canned fruits and vegetables, and canned meat, poultry or fish. All of Ohio’s 88 counties participate in CSFP. If you are age 60 or older, if you live in one of the participating CSFP counties, and if your total household gross income is at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, you may apply for CSFP at the local food pantry. For locations, click here.