Need for food assistance in Cleveland and surrounding counties is reaching pandemic-level demand as residents are roiled by rising gas prices and fewer get federal food benefits.
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank served 404,000 people last year throughout Cuyahoga, Ashland, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Richland Counties. That’s slightly more than it served in 2020, when the pandemic caused demand to spike. And so far this year, the food bank is on pace to surpass that number, said Kristin Warzocha, the CEO of the food bank.
The Hunger Network, which helps coordinate food pantries and hot meals exclusively in Cuyahoga County, said it’s seeing similar trends. The number of households served at food pantries has increased month over month so far this year – starting at 15,000 in January and surpassing 18,000 by April, according to Emma Messett, Hunger Relief Program director at the organization.
Both Warzocha and Messett said the biggest reason people are visiting food pantries is because they’re looking for ways to cut back on expenses as the cost of living rises.
“I have talked to quite a number of people lately who are seniors who are struggling to get by with rising prices,” Warzocha said. “They’re worried about the cost of groceries. They’re worried because their rent has gone up. And they just can’t make ends meet anymore. They just can’t do it. So they’re coming here for food.”
The leaders believe that changes to the federal SNAP program, which gives low-income residents money for food, could also be driving some of the demand. The number of Cuyahoga County residents receiving SNAP benefits dropped by more than 11,000 between last November and March of this year. Some non-citizens lost SNAP after new federal rules went into effect. Thousands more appeared to simply fall off the rolls after failing to comply with various parts of the program’s red tape, like paperwork and interviews.
Messett said she hears frustration from residents who have worked with the SNAP program, particularly after it temporarily closed last November during the federal shutdown.
“People who may still even qualify have just given up on meeting up with the requirements of the system,” Messett said.
Now, about 1,300 residents are poised to lose their SNAP benefits by the end of May because they aren’t meeting new work requirements, county leaders said last week. At least half of them are 55 or older.
Last year’s federal One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law by President Donald Trump, added the new requirements for people experiencing homelessness, veterans, former foster youth and adults over 54. The administration argued the new rules would refocus the program away from able-bodied working-age adults and onto the truly needy.
Approximately 3,700 more residents are expected to lose SNAP benefits because they don’t meet the new work rules over the next year.
Grocery stores also feeling the SNAP changes
Food banks and pantries aren’t the only institutions seeing the result of the changing federal SNAP landscape. Grocery stores are, too.
Dave’s Market — a local grocery store chain in Cleveland — saw its revenue from SNAP fall approximately 10% over the past year, according to Dan Saltzman, the president of Dave’s Markets.
That’s not a normal fluctuation, Saltzman said. And it’s concerning because SNAP plays an important role in helping keep the company’s stores afloat, budget-wise, Saltzman said, especially in neighborhoods that have already-limited food access.
“It puts a lot of strain on our business model,” he said.
Saltzman said his industry opposed the changes to the SNAP program.
“To see seniors and young women with children lose their benefits, it’s heartbreaking,” he said.
Need help with work requirements?
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank offers a help line for residents who need assistance completing their application to SNAP and other benefits programs.
Call at 216-738-2067.
United Way’s 211 number can also assist residents in navigating SNAP benefits.
Cuyahoga County also recently published the following one-pager to help explain the new work requirements to those seeking SNAP benefits.
