Just a Bite

This Veterans Day, we honor those who have served in the United States Military. About 1 in 9 working-age veterans experience food insecurity, with 24% of active-duty service members recorded as food insecure in 2020 (Feeding America). According to the United States Department of Agriculture, working-age veterans are at a greater risk (7.4%) of experiencing food insecurity compared to non-veterans. For disabled veterans, this number of food insecure military families rises nearly three times to 22.5% (USDA-ERS). 1.2 million low-income veterans utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program (SNAP) to ease the impacts of food insecurity on veteran households (Feeding America). Our guest, Kimberly Hazelgrove, Advocacy Coordinator at the Second Harvest Foodbank of North Central Ohio, shares with us her experience as an Ohio veteran, and the lived experience of many military households across the nation. Kimberly shares her firsthand experience with the barriers military families face such as low pay, geographic isolation, physical and mental health struggles, and grief.  

We want to thank Kimberly for her vulnerability and her willingness to speak with us about her life and lived experience as a veteran, widow, active member, and advocate. Thank you for trusting us with your story and your thoughts. Thank you to all those who have served our country in the United States Military, as we honor you, and those who have lost their lives fighting for our country, this Veterans Day.  

References: 

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors – Caring for Families of Americas Heros: TAPS 

Find an Ohio County Veterans Service Offices: Ohio Department of Veterans Services 

Determining Veterans Status – Verification Assistance Brief: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 

Ohio Inter-Service Family Assistance Committee (ISFAC) – State and Regional Partnership in Support of Ohio’s Military.  

Gold Star Spouses of America -  goldstarspouses.org - Serving surviving spouses of America’s fallen service members and veterans

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 them every other week!       

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!      

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.   

Ohio Association of Foodbanks, like the rest of the country, have been counting down the days until November 5 but Ohioans can vote early from October 8 through the election. We know that in this country, our elections can have a tremendous impact on hunger and in this upcoming election, we can work to elect and hold accountable leaders of any political party, who care about hunger. On top of the tireless work of providing emergency food assistance to Ohioans, Ohio foodbanks also have been working to inform their neighbors about the election ahead and the impact that their vote has. During this election, we talk with Hallie Carrino-Lee with the Mid-Ohio Food Collective and Elisabeth Warner of the League of Women Voters of Ohio about the role non-profits play in providing nonpartisan voter education and support and why it is so critical. Take a listen! 

References:  

November Election important dates: 

Check your voter registration, view the voter ID requirements, and look up your sample ballot and polling locations HERE.  

Are you worried that you might be told you have to vote provisionally this election? Don’t worry! You likely have additional steps you have to take after you cast your provisional ballot to provide the Board of Elections more information. Learn more here.  

Please consider being a poll worker this election! You can learn more information and sign up HERE. 

Show off your passion for ending hunger AND voting by buying a “Vote to End Hunger” shirt!  

Learn more about the work nonprofits can do during election season: 

Learn more about our guests!  

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!       

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!      

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.   

In this special episode of Just a Bite, we celebrate Hunger Action Month with a heartfelt conversation between Joree Novotny, Executive Director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, and Julie Chase Moorfield, President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio and Board Chair for OAF. Julie reflects on her 25 years in food banking, with a focus on her 20-year tenure at Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio. She shares insights into the significant changes in food banking over the decades, including growth in staff, distribution volume, and expanded community services.

References:  

Learn more about Julie and the incredible work here team is doing here.

Find your local foodbank to find help, volunteer, and donate here.     

Visit our Hunger Action Month Center to learn how you can take action now!

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload every other week!      

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!     

We are licensed to use the song, Goals and Dreams by Boomer, which is distributed and owned by PremiumBeat.    

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.  

This month, Just a Bite host, Sarah Kuhns, sits down with Joy Kostansek and Representative Sean P. Brennan to discuss how to end college hunger in the state of Ohio. As students return to campus this fall, food insecurity and hunger also return to college campuses. College students continuously face high tuition costs, and accumulating student debt, in addition to schedules loaded with heavy course work and on/off campus employment. Far too many college students are struggling to meet their basic needs as they study and learn, with concerning consequences. Joy Kostansek, the Associate Director in the Dean of Students office at the University of Cincinnati (UC), shares more about her work to support UC students in accessing their critical basic needs. State Representative Sean P. Brennan of Ohio’s 14th House District, joins us to discuss not only his passion for addressing food insecurity in our communities, but also his introduction of House Bill 590 to the Ohio General Assembly. Take a listen to this inspiring episode and learn how to fight hunger on college campuses as we enter the 2024-2025 school year.  

References:  

Learn more from our guests, and follow on social media!  

Research, basic needs on college campuses: 

Take Action! Visit the Ohio Association of Foodbanks Hunger Free Campus Action Center to get involved! 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a review and subscribe to get episodes in your podcast feed as soon as we upload them every other week!       

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!      

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.   

Many families rely on school meals during the academic year to provide nutritious and delicious breakfast and lunch. This allows families to use their finite financial resources for other basic needs and gives them some breathing room in their monthly budgets. Unfortunately, every summer these meals are no longer available and many families have to quickly figure out how they are going to make up the difference. Thankfully, there are now options for families to provide meals for their children during the summer! Congress approved an expansion of summer feeding options including Summer EBT and Rural Non-congregate meal sites. These new offerings allow families some flexibility and dignity as they provide for their children during the summer months. Today, we explore these new options on the podcasts with our guests, Jolara O’Harra and Chrissy Musser. Thank you both for sharing your expertise and experiences with the listeners!  

References: 

Learn more about Summer EBT, including eligibility information, outreach materials and important FAQs at https://ohiosummerebt.org/.  

Find both traditional and non-congregate summer meal sites in your area here. Remember that you can utilize both summer meals sites and Summer EBT! 

Learn more about the Community Backyards program and how you can use the program to support your own garden.  

Learn more about Produce Perks and how you can double both SNAP benefits and Summer EBT benefits for your family.  

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 them every other week!       

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!      

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.   

In this episode, Audrey sits down with two incredible experts in the field to celebrate all things Pride. Join us is an hour worth of meaningful conversation concerning the complexities of the LGBTQ+ community, the support they need, and a shout of incredible resources we have right here in Ohio. Joining us is Oliver Licking, Gender Equity Policy Manager at Equitas Health, a non-profit community health center and one of the largest LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS serving healthcare organizations in the country, serving patients in Ohio, Texas, Kentucky and West Virginia. And Erin Upchurch, Executive Director at Kaleidoscope youth center, the largest nonprofit in Ohio dedicated solely to serving and supporting LGBTQ youth.  

References: 

Check out the Feeding America podcast, Elevating Voices, Ending Hunger here, as well as the Williams Institute research referenced.  

You can also find the book, Untamed by Glennon Doyle, referenced by Erin. 

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 them every other week!       

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!      

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.   

With this year’s tax season ending, our Just a Bite host, Sarah, interviewed two experts to discuss the need for an equitable tax code and progressive revenue in Ohio and to highlight the important solutions to make that happen.  

Sarah first talks with Bailey Williams, a tax researcher from Policy Matters Ohio, who answers questions like, why are taxes and revenue so important? What targeted tax relief can we establish for families? And why is eliminating the state income tax such a harmful policy for Ohioans with low and moderate incomes? 

After speaking with Bailey, Sarah talks with Benisha Wright, an advocate and directly impacted Ohioan who talks about what the child tax credit in 2021 meant for her family and countless other Ohio families. She shares that since that tax relief has expired and inflation has only continued to grow, she is increasingly concerned about her ability to make ends meet. We also explore the benefit cliff that she and so many others have experienced as they grow in their careers and earn raises for their hard work, the difficult catch-22 that they are put in to balance their new income and expenses without the support of benefit programs. 

If you would like to take action to push our elected officials to take up equitable tax policies, please share your Child Tax Credit story with us through this form. You can also call on your U.S. Senators to pass a bipartisan child tax credit here. 

References: 

Listen to the press conference for the introduction of the Thriving Families Tax Credit, with Benisha’s remarks starting at 4:29 mark.  

See the media coverage from the press conference and coverage highlighting the Thriving Families Tax Credit: 

See the various research papers done by Policy Matters Ohio making the case for an equitable tax code in Ohio: 

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 them every other week!       

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!      

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.   

In this episode, Audrey sits down to talk about a wide variety of topics concerning women’s health, livelihood, and the changes still to be made as we celebrate Women’s History Month. Our expert for this episode is the incredible Elizabeth Brown who currently serves at the President and CEO for the YWCA of Columbus, Ohio, a nonprofit organization whose mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Elizabeth previous served as council member for the city of Columbus for seven years where her work included broadening access to opportunity and strengthening women and families. We encourage you to read Liz’s full bio here to learn more about all the incredible work she has done.  

Thank you, Liz, for joining us and for shining light on such meaningful topics. We’d also like to thank Hope at OAF who previously worked with Liz and can be heard throughout the podcast, participating in the conversation with us!  

References: 

Check out Liz full bio from her time as a council member and about the work she is currently doing at the YWCA Columbus, Ohio.  

Call to action for the YWCA, here.  

Learn more about period poverty from leaders in the field like, Aunt Flo, here.  

Although we do not believe the Free the Tampon website has been active since 2020, we still wanted to share as it was a cool part of Liz’s story!   

Learn more about the maternal health crisis and how critical nutrition programs, like WIC, can help on our 2022 episode “Let’s Talk Maternal Health for Mother’s Day”. 

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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 them every other week!       

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!      

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.   

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: 

Learn more about Ohio CAN and other farmers Ohio foodbanks partner with in our previous episode “Getting to know some Ohio Farmers through LFPA”.  

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 them every other week!       

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!      

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.   

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.  

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 them every other week!       

Want more updates? Follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and take our latest hunger-fighting actions!      

Ohio Association of Foodbanks is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization without party affiliation or bias. We are Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger and our mission is to assist Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks in providing food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need.