For immediate release
April 30, 2020
NEW REPORT FINDS FAITH COMMUNITIES CONTINUE TO SERVE NEIGHBORS DESPITE GROWING NEED. FAITH COMMUNITIES SEEK GOVERNMENT INVESTMENTS AND GUIDANCE TO ASSIST HOUSEHOLDS STRUGGLING THE MOST TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
CONTACT: Nick Bates, Nick@hungernetohio.com
READ THE REPORT HERE
Throughout April, the Hunger Network in Ohio surveyed more than 100 social ministry organizations throughout Ohio and found that need is increasing and social ministry volunteers and coordinators are seeking assistance from the state and federal government.
“Our social safety net had a lot of holes in it before this crisis and COVID-19 ripped them wide open,” Says director Nick Bates. “While unemployment was low in Ohio, nearly 1 in 3 Ohio households were already living in or near poverty before the COVID-19 pandemic began. These families were barely getting by when the economy was growing, and now they are fearful and in need of basic assistance.”
Our new report, Social Ministry in a Time of COVID-19, highlights how local social ministries (food pantries, community meals, clothing and material assistance, etc.) have adapted to meet the growing and changing needs in their community, and it offers policy recommendations for state and national leaders.
The report calls on public officials to make the needed investments to make sure that all Ohioans have access to food and economic security during this difficult and uncertain times.
“If we are in this together, let’s be all in for the community.”
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