A Columbus Foundation committee has approved $500,000 in grants to support 21 food pantries in the area as federal food benefits are set to end Saturday because of the government shutdown.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, provides benefits to low-income families to purchase food.
The foundation says the loss of SNAP benefits would impact already strained food pantries. In Ohio, different SNAP recipients receive benefits at varying times throughout the month.
Columbus Foundation President and CEO Doug Kridler said Wednesday that the foundation had already been planning to give the grants because of the growing need at food pantries beyond the SNAP cuts.
"Pantries have had an increasing amount of pressures and challenges not yet solely the result of erasing SNAP benefits," Kridler said.
But Kridler said the grants can't make up the loss of federal government funding.
"There isn't enough philanthropic capital to fill the voids of the public sector funding," Kridler said. "You do whatever you can do as strategically as you can do it and hope it helps along the way."
The Columbus Foundation's Community Research and Grants Management Team identified 21 nonprofit groups serving large areas. They are:
- Bishop Griffin Center Society of St. Vincent De Paul
- Broad Street Presbyterian Church
- Catholic Social Services, Inc.
- Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center
- Community Development for All People
- Dublin Food Pantry
- Gahanna Residents in Need
- Gladden Community House
- Healthy New Albany Inc.
- Healthy Worthington Resource Center & Food Pantry
- HEART Food Pantry
- Hilliard Food Pantry Plus
- LifeCare Alliance
- Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio
- Neighborhood Services Inc.
- New Salem Baptist Church
- NNEMAP Inc.
- St. Stephen’s Community Services Inc.
- Stowe Mission of Central Ohio
- Victory Ministries
- Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM)
Kridler said the foundation is also focusing on other growing community needs such as housing. He said the foundation earlier this year provided $2 million from its reserves to help fund shelters through the Community Shelter Board.
"Change is a constant, but so is our commitment to continue that search for strategic and timely investments to make for the health of our community," he said.
On Monday, Columbus City Council approved $25,000 for the Mid-Ohio Food Collective to support its operations.
City Council spokesman Jose Rodriguez said City Council President Shannon Hardin hopes the money will spur others in the community to donate.
Rodriguez said Columbus City Council will be collecting food at its next meeting on Monday.
