Federal benefit gap leaves thousands of local families facing food insecurity
Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro and County Council approved emergency legislation Oct. 27 authorizing a $250,000 grant to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank to provide food assistance to residents affected by the potential loss of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
More than 77,000 Summit County residents in nearly 43,000 households rely on SNAP, which provides an average of $15 million per month in food assistance. However, Congress has not passed a federal budget or appropriated funding for the continuation of the program as of Oct. 27. According to a notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals nationwide beginning Nov. 1.
In response, Summit County Council passed an emergency resolution at the request of Shapiro, authorizing the Department of Job and Family Services to execute the grant agreement with the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. The funds will help expand the Foodbank’s capacity to serve local families who may experience food insecurity as a result of the federal funding lapse.
“Tens of thousands of Summit County residents, in all 31 communities, depend on SNAP to feed themselves and their families,” Shapiro said. “While we cannot control the federal budget process, we can act locally to help fill the gap. We are grateful to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank for their partnership and tireless service.”
This emergency funding builds upon the County’s existing partnership with the Foodbank, which includes an existing $324,000 contract for food distribution services approved earlier this year. The additional grant will ensure that local food providers have added resources to help meet increased demand in the coming weeks.
Residents in need of food assistance can visit https://www.akroncantonfoodbank.org/ or call 2-1-1.
