September 11, 2024

When was the last time you skipped a meal, not because you weren't hungry, but because you had no choice? According to Hunger Ohio, Ohio has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the country, with over 400,000 children across the state living in food-insecure households. That's 1 in 5 children unsure of where their next meal is coming from. While the U.S. average hunger rate is 10.4%, Ohio's is even higher at 11.5%. A food-insecure household can't provide, or is worried about providing, enough food for a household member because of a lack of money or resources. It's a daunting - and daily - challenge for thousands, even in an area as relatively prosperous as Central Ohio. Hunger is an issue that impacts Ohioans of all ages, families of all sizes, and can even be found on the region's college campuses. And while pandemic-era relief programs were a windfall to many food assistance programs, much of this funding has ended, and recent inflation has further stretched already-inadequate food budgets. What would it take to end hunger once and for all in Central Ohio? To help answer this question, and to mark Hunger Action Month, CMC brings together a lineup of passionate experts to spotlight hunger in our midst and the actionable steps we can take together.

Featuring Matt Habash, President & CEO, Mid-Ohio Food Collective; Dr. Mysheika W. Roberts, Health Commissioner, Columbus Public Health; Dr. Carol Bradford, Dean of the Ohio State University School of Medicine and Vice President of Health Sciences at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Adam Troy, Executive Director, Community of Caring Development Foundation with moderator Michelle Moskowitz Brown, President & CEO, Children's Hunger Alliance.