Growing Food Insecurity Prompts Communities to Step Up

BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio — As federal SNAP benefits remain on hold, food pantries across Ohio are struggling to meet rising demand, prompting residents and volunteers in Logan County to hold a community food drive to help families who have lost access to food assistance.

Dustin Ragland, who organized the Logan County Food Drive, said the effort aimed to fill the gap left by shrinking benefits and limited resources.

Ragland once relied on SNAP himself 20 years ago as a single father and said he understands how quickly families can fall into food insecurity.

“We all need help,” Ragland said. “I think it’s the job of the community to come together and fill that gap, no matter what the circumstances are.”

He said the event was designed to ensure families don’t go hungry when government systems fail to provide adequate support.

“Our leaders may not be able to work together, but our community still can,” he said.

The donations collected during the drive will be divided equally among the food pantries that participated, helping distribute resources across Logan County.

Bobbi Allen, pastor of Buckeye Gospel Barn, said her pantry serves more than 400 families each month. She said calls for help began increasing as soon as SNAP benefits were paused.

“It’s going to be hard,” Allen said. “Because already, before I even arrived here, I’ve got people calling, saying, ‘Hey, can we come over and get some food?’”

Allen said even simple, kid-friendly foods such as canned spaghetti are getting harder to keep on the shelves. She said pantries especially need items that can serve as complete meals and don’t require extra ingredients.

Allen said she’s already noticed a sense of panic among SNAP recipients as parents worry about how they’ll feed their children in the coming days, with many running low on groceries and unsure how they’ll make it through next week.

Despite the growing strain, Allen said the community’s response gives her hope.

“Just reach out to each other, be kind to each other and help each other,” she said. “Because if we all start binding together, we can do it.”

Ragland said he plans to continue organizing community efforts through the holidays.