Second Harvest highlights need to local legislators

LORAIN — A brittle food system, and potential government shutdown were key topics at Second Harvest's legislative service day. Second Harvest Food Bank hosted local, state and federal legislators and their staff, in part to highlight the impact funding streams have on the organization's services. Second Harvest provides food to low-income households in Lorain, Erie, Huron and Crawford counties — distributing more than 11 million pounds of food per year to nearly 120,000 people. The nonprofit looks to meet immediate food needs in the communities it serves, while looking toward the future to create more stability in those same counties, President and CEO Julie Chase-Morefield said. In Erie County and Sandusky, Second Harvest has looked at the situations leading people to come to the food pantry, she said — from low-wage work to housing costs. "We don't want to re-create services," she said. "We're food people, that's what we do … But how can we connect you to those resources? How can we make sure that maybe the first time you come in for food assistance, we help you figure out how to connect to that service and maybe next time you don't need to come back." The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how brittle food systems are in the United States, Chase-Morefield said — Second Harvest saw shipments of meat and canned goods canceled or hard to come by. To help mitigate that, Second Harvest looks to use local farms when purchasing food. Through a three-year pilot program, Second Harvest has been able to purchase food from the Oberlin Food Hub and Solidarity Urban Farms in Lorain. Purchasing from local farms, as well as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), Emergency Food Assistance and other benefits are funded in part by the federal Farm Bill, which must be renewed by lawmakers every five years. The 2023 Farm Bill received a continuing resolution in November — providing funding through September 2024 — but has yet to receive full passage. The vast majority of SNAP recipients are children, older and disabled adults, Second Harvest Advocacy Coordinator Kimberly Hazelgrove said. And since 2019, Second Harvest has seen the need for food assistance for seniors increase by 92 percent. During a panel discussion, Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, echoed the importance of the locally sourced food program. State funding has allowed food banks to source local produce, she said, but the additional funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has allowed food banks to source food in a way they have not before. "We can demonstrate that we want to be part of a resilient food system," she said, noting that includes resources for its vendor and supplier networks, and focusing on sourcing foods from minority, women and veteran-owned farms. But every program — from services for women and children to senior food boxes — hinges on federal funding. And the Farm Bill is not the only funding stream held up in Congress. Federal legislators passed a short-term spending bill in January to keep the government running into early March. But uncertainty looms as the deadline draws closer — and that uncertainty can cause individuals to take action before a shutdown even takes place, Novotny said. The last long-term shutdown was in 2019, lasting 35 days. While Social Security payments and SNAP benefits were not stopped, staffing levels were reduced. "We will see a crisis very quickly," Novotny said if Congress fails to pass a continuing resolution, or a full budget, by March 8. Samantha Flores, Second Harvest director of program and partner services, said residents have yet to fully recover from the economic impact of the pandemic, and a government shutdown could serve to exacerbate financial hardships. It could also force smaller nonprofits or local farms serving them to hold federal debt if reimbursements are delayed, Dave Sokoll, Oberlin Food Hub executive director, said. "It's vitally important that we all let them know how important this is to our local economy," Hazelgrove said to close out the panel discussion. "We're talking about millions of dollars that are coming into Lorain County and a little bit less (in) the other counties. It's very, very important that the government does appropriate the money and allow our economy to stay open." Lorain County Commissioner Dave Moore highlighted one of the proposals for Elyria's Midway Mall by the Center for Food Innovation. The proposed development, dubbed The Garden, would create a controlled agriculture environment, including cold storage, food processing and indoor farms and greenhouses alongside restaurants and distribution services. The Center for Food Innovation will present its proposal at 6 p.m. Thursday at Midway Mall. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.