COLUMBUS – Representative Steve Stivers (R-OH) applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) approval of the Disaster Household Feeding Program for Ohio. This follows a request from Ohio lawmakers urging USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to approve the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ (ODJFS) request to initiate the plan. 

This request would provide relief for the over 1.25 million Ohioans who rely on Ohio food banks during the coronavirus pandemic. Food banks in Ohio’s 15th District, and statewide, are seeing an increased demand for assistance due to an increase in unemployment. This food distribution plan will help ensure food banks have the tools to safely distribute meals. The program works to put innovative, flexible policies in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19 amongst staff, volunteers, and clients.

“Food banks are a life-line for many families across Ohio; we need to cut any red tape standing in the way of a food bank’s ability to safely distribute food,” said Stivers. “This approval gives families who rely on these meals and individuals working to provide the meals, the confidence that they will have the assistance needed during this pandemic.”

To read the letter, click here.

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