TOLEDO, Ohio — The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program's temporary emergency pandemic benefits returned to pre-pandemic levels for more than 750,000 Ohioans on Wednesday
Mobile Meals of Toledo services clients who receive SNAP benefits. One of those clients, Gill Woods, hopes others were like her and stocked up on food ahead of the reduction.
"I've got certain items that I can stock up on like sugar, flour, pancake mix, canned items, soups and ramen noodles ... you can make a lot with a ramen noodle," Woods said.
Starting in March, the Center on Budget Policy Priorities found the average SNAP recipient will receive less because of the allotment ending.
Mobile Meals of Toledo Executive Director Maureen Stevens said many are losing food security, which can be especially scary during rising inflation.
Families aren't the only ones having to make do with less, though. Nonprofits statewide have already dealt with pulled funding.
"Over the last two years, we've had additional funding, COVID funding," Stevens said. "We were able to double the number of meals that we could serve and the number of people. Starting in January, we had to cut that in half."
She said this means some clients or organizations aren't able to feed everyone and the Mobile Meals of Toledo office has seen understandable panic.
"It's going to be very difficult to go back to what they were at before or lower," Stevens said. "New people who have been calling are really concerned. They've been saying, 'I can't afford it.'"
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Thrifty Food Plan, the average monthly cost of food for a family of four is $977.70. Due to inflation, consumers are spending more to get less.
Stevens has worked at Mobile Meals for more than two decades and said the financial ebb and flow won't last forever.
"I'm optimistic about the future," Stevens said. "We're going to keep doing what we're doing. I may be naïve about that."
Either way, Woods is changing her habits when it comes to food. "I'm going to cook more, I do know that," she said.
The United Way of Toledo 211 and county departments of the state's Jobs and Family Services can provide assistance with the change in benefits.