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This Black History Month, Just a Bite hosts, Hope Lane-Gavin and Chloe Meyers, interview our great partners through the Ohio CAN program. Our hosts and our friends from the Regenerative Farmer Collective talked about the dichotomy of farming: how painful yet healing it can be as Black farmers to continue to work among the earth and grow as their ancestors did. They shared stories about how the joys and challenges as Black farmers, how they mentor and support one another, and what more needs to be done to rectify the horrific wrongs that white Americans and Europeans did when they kidnapped the first Africans and brought them to Virginia as slaves in 1619. We still see the lasting impact slavery has had on Black Americans to this day. Take a listen to this emotional, powerful conversation as we celebrate this Black History Month.     References:  Learn more from our guests and support their farms:  Tia Stuart of Narrow Way Farm  Sharifa Tomlinson of Arrowrock Farm an Urban Sanctuary  Watch Sharifa share how Ohio CAN was beneficial for her and her farm 

Food assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) play a pivotal role as the primary line of defense against food insecurity for numerous individuals. However, gaining access to SNAP benefits and related programs poses challenges not only for everyday Americans and Ohioans but also for those currently incarcerated. In Ohio, individuals within the correctional facilities preparing for release within 30 days can benefit from SNAP INreach, a program facilitated by Ohio's foodbank network. Holding the SNAP outreach contract for nearly 15 years, Ohio's foodbank network strives to extend support. Presently, eight out of our twelve network foodbanks are actively engaged, with four of them consistently conducting monthly corrections-in-reach. As of this recording, Ohio has 28 state-run corrections facilities, with SNAP outreach workers going into 25 of 28 facilities once per month to assist interested inmates to be released within 30 days with their SNAP applications if they so choose. Our network goal in 2024 is to have presence in all 28 state-run corrections facilities. To explore and talk about this critical work for post release success, your Just a Bite hosts have a conversation with our dedicated colleagues, Bailey Clearly-Foeller with Mid-Ohio Food Collective and Robert Zohfeld with Shared Harvest Foodbank who are doing this critical work every day.  References:  For more information on SNAP and the impact it has on Ohioans, check out our previous episodes titled, SNAP Outreach: Thoughts from the Field and our more recent episode titled, Ohioans on SNAP Share Their Stories.    To hear more on the impact of incarcerations, check out our episode titled, Re-entry after incarceration where we hear directly from an impacted Ohioan who is now a wonderful colleague of ours, Mary Evans with the Foodbank, Inc in Dayton, Ohio. This particular episode focuses on the “-isms” that play a major part in stability including food security and recidivism rates.     For those who are formerly incarcerated, Mary shared a resource that helps connect, lift up, and consult fellow system-impacted individuals, From Prison Cells to PhD.    

In this episode, Sarah talks with two amazing partners the Ohio Association of Foodbanks works with through the Ohio Community + Agriculture + Nutrition (CAN) Program, funded through the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program. Jamie Pritchard joins us from WIT Farm and Walt Bonham joins from the Food Lab and the Richland Gro-Op. We talk about the importance of local food systems, the historical context that makes it difficult for BIPOC farmers and other farmers left out of USDA programs to scale and grow, and how local farms are innovatively collaborating with one another to expand their reach and impact.     Thank you, Walt and Jamie, for joining us and thank you to Carrie at OAF and Ainsley at Ohio Department of Agriculture for listening in and participating in the conversation with us!     References:  Check out Jamie’s family-owned business, WIT Farm at their website, on Instagram and Facebook.     Check out Walt’s business, The Food Lab, and the Richland Gro-Op. You can find the Richland Gro-Op on Instagram and Facebook and the Food Lab on Facebook. 

Food insecurity doesn’t stand alone and is simply a symptom of one or more -isms: racism, sexism, classism, ableism, ageism, capitalism. What you may not know, however, is that other symptoms of these -isms include un-or-underemployment, lack of affordable housing, poor health, and crime. Violence and crime are disproportionately higher in areas and communities with poor public education, lack of community investment and economic opportunity. Additionally, these communities are often over policed, poverty stricken and traumatized and crime is often committed to ensure necessities are met or so that the pain is eased. Incarceration is rarely the answer for those who just need opportunity. Incarceration does not alleviate the systemic challenges individuals faced prior to incarceration; in fact, it fuels it by perpetuating disparities. To explore and talk about this vast, nuanced, and interconnected problem, your Just a Bite hosts have a conversation with Professor Karen Benton at Clark State College to talk about the context and connection between access to basic needs and recidivism rates, why food and other basic needs are so critical once someone is released, and what innovative programs are available in Ohio to support system-impacted individuals as they are release. After talking with Karen, you will hear us speak with Mary Evans, Re-entry Manager at the Foodbank, Inc in Dayton and returning citizen herself to talk about her experience being system-impacted and to share her expertise when it comes to supporting folks post-release.      References:  Check out Re-Entry Stories and West Dayton Stories produced by Mary Evans at WYSO.   Mary is also the co-founder of The Journalism Lab, a collaborative that empowers citizen correspondents to learn the foundations of journalism and report on what is happening in their local communities.   “It’s my mission to give my community a voice” by Mary Evans, in Dayton Daily News.   For those who are formerly incarcerated, Mary shared a resource that helps connect, lift up, and

This episode might be a tear-jerker! The association’s director emerita, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, and executive director, Joree Novotny, join Just a Bite. The two leaders take the time to celebrate Lisa’s legacy and lifelong commitment to Ohio’s most vulnerable and reflect on Joree’s vision for the future of the association and her tenure. During this episode, they share what their successes and challenges are, how they have been feeling during the transition, and what they are looking forward to in the future.   Thank you to the countless partners, foodbankers, and staff who have congratulated Lisa and Joree, wished them well, and recounted memories shared with them! We want to especially thank Kelly Hatas of Hocking Athens Perry Community Action/Southeast Ohio Foodbank, Kristin Warzocha of the Greater Cleveland Foodbank (GCFB), Matt Habash of Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC), Michelle Riley and Lee Alder of the Foodbank, Inc, Juanita Burden of MOFC, Jess Morgan of GCFB, Tim White of MOFC, Carrie Dennis of OAF, and Jessica Renwick of OAF for sharing their well wishes and thanks with Joree, Lisa, and our listeners!  References:  Learn more about the leadership transition announcement here.  Listen to our podcast episode about Lisa’s induction into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame for her tireless commitment to feeding hungry Ohioans and supporting Ohio’s largest sector, agriculture.   Listen to Lisa reflect on the Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ 30th anniversary with Tina Osso, former executive director at Shared Harvest Foodbank who was instrumental in establishing the association.   Watch the State of Ohio show on WOSU/PBS, with a segment featuring Lisa’s tenure at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks and John Cor

The public policy team at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks sits down to provide you with updates on what is happening in Congress when it comes to hunger and basic needs security. OAF’s new director of communications, Audrey Vanzant, joins Hope and Sarah to host the episode and ask the team what the listeners need to know when it comes to the debt ceiling deal negotiation earlier this year, delays in the Farm Bill, a possible government shutdown and more. Take a listen!  References:  Medicaid renewals are starting. Those who don’t reenroll could get kicked off, by Maria Godoy, NPR  The government remains open – for now. Here’s what happens next, by Kaanita Iyer, CNN  Rep Mike Johnson says avoiding shutdown is priority as House speaker, by April Rubin, Axios  Getting a new speaker may not clear hurdles to agriculture bills, by Ellyn Ferguson, Roll Call  Millions of American families struggle to get food on the table, report finds, by Maria Godoy, NPR

As summer comes to a close and Ohio students return to school, your Just A Bite hosts wanted to highlight a huge first step when it comes to addressing childhood hunger and providing nutritious school meals for all students. We are joined by two members of the Children’s Defense Fund Ohio, Katherine Ungar and Matthew Tippit to talk about the coalition work this campaign needed to make it a success and what opportunities there are to make sure implementation of the program is successful. We talked to Tom Zsembik, food service director at Mad River Local Schools, to share his perspective about why free school meals are needed and what he sees on the ground in his community.  References:  Learn more about the Hunger Free Schools Ohio campaign at their website.   Learn more about CDF-Ohio at their website, Twitter, and Facebook.   Listen to the past Just a Bite episode with Katherine about the Hunger Free Schools Ohio coalition.   Read more about the work Tom Zsembik, food service director at Mid River Local Schools, is doing to break down barriers to nutritious school meals for the students in his community. 

It has been a little over two months since Ohio's state budget was passed and signed by Governor DeWine! Sarah is joined by three state advocates with three different perspectives to talk about how their issues fared in the budget and what they think are the opportunities to weigh in on implementation of new programs and policies. The conversation ends with what kept each of them energized and inspired during the 6 months of monitoring the budget and advocating on behalf of the people they serve. References:  Learn more about Groundwork Ohio on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Look at their Early Childhood Dashboard and learn about their Center for Family Voice where you can listen to their podcast, Amplified.   Learn more about Ohio Poverty Law Center on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.    Learn more about Disability Rights Ohio on their

It is often stated that Ohio is an aging state. But what does that mean? And how do we create communities that support all of us as we age? Ohio’s older adult population is projected to increase by 21% by 2030! Unfortunately for some, food insecurity and poverty become more prevalent as they age. Recently, Ohio foodbanks have been seeing an uptick in older adults seeking help, with households with at least one Ohioan over 60 making up a third of our caseload statewide. Sarah, Just a Bite cohost, spoke with Beth Kowalczyk from Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging who gave an overview of our aging state and what policy solutions would support our older Ohioans, Sarah Brown from the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank to talk about the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and Patty, a resident from Mahoning County, Ohio about her experience navigating nutrition programs as an older adult.    References:  Find more information on the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging on their website, their twitter, and their Facebook page.    Learn more about the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank on their website, their Twitter, their Instagram, and their Facebook page.    Find your local Produce Perks location to get additional SNAP dollars for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Michael Knote of Have A Gay Day joined Just a Bite host, Sarah, to talk about the great work Have A Gay Day is doing to meet neighbors and clients where they are at and provide them with a welcoming and inclusive environment. Michael and Sarah discuss the stigma and barriers LGBTQ+ Ohioans face and their disproportionate rates of food insecurity, homelessness, and poverty. Listen to learn more about what Ohio’s hunger relief network can do to be more inclusive and break down barriers for LGBTQ+ Ohioans.   References:  Visit Have A Gay Day at their website, their Facebook, and their Twitter.    Support Have A Gay Day by donating here. If you donate $10 or more during the month of June 2023, Have A Gay Day has the chance to win a $10,000 grant to support their efforts in Montgomery County, Ohio!   Learn about the findings from the study mentioned, done by UCLA’S Williams Institute, here.   Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.         

SNAP recipients had been receiving extra COVID SNAP benefits for 3 years to weather the economic impacts of the pandemic. It had been a lifeline for many, where they could finally afford the foods they preferred and needed to manage their diet related diseases and feel food secure. Unfortunately, since those benefits ended in March, SNAP recipients no longer have that additional money that they used to meet their basic needs, while the side effects of COVID still remain. To get a sense of how this is impacting Ohioans, we met with 5 Ohioans who participate in SNAP to talk to them about their experiences and what they think folks need to hear when it comes to making ends meet. We extend our most sincere thanks to each of them for sharing their time and their stories.   References:  Read our 2022 brief on older adults and the impact SNAP EAs had on their lives here.   Read our recent tweet thread about the impact SNAP EAs had on older adults and the need to increase the minimum SNAP benefit.   Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.            Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!           

The primary benefit from making sure that every person has the wholesome food they need is that fewer people suffer the indignity and harm of hunger. But did you know there are many other benefits to hunger relief? Today we’re going to dive deeper into one less commonly explored way that our state-funded emergency food programs benefit Ohio: through the indirect economic activity they generate! Economist Dr. Howard Fleeter joins the podcast to talk about his Independent Economic Impact Analysis of our food purchasing programs and the economic multiplier effects that come with food assistance!  References:  Read the latest Independent Economic Impact Analysis for our State-Funded Food Programs, as prepared by Dr. Fleeter.   Review our request for increased funding for the Ohio Food Program and Agricultural Clearance Program and add your name to our list of supporters for this request.   Learn more about Dr. Howard Fleeter’s career, experience, and areas of expertise and what makes Fleeter & Associates Ohio’s premier public policy research firm.   Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.