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Ohio National Guard Will Continue To Help The State's Foodbanks

Dan Konik

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio National Guard members have been helping foodbanks out with distribution. The Guard was supposed end its mission this month, but there's news it will continue to help in a reduced capacity.

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ Joree Novotny says it’s been hard for foodbanks since this pandemic began because older volunteers the organization relies on haven’t been able to work since the pandemic. Plus, she says the demand for services has increased.

“Food banks are doing a lot more of the large-scale response work to make sure that the significantly greater number of people who are struggling to put food on the table can access to it," Novotny says.

The Ohio National Guard will continue working with the state's 14 foodbanks into December, as federal funding for its missions has been extended.

The federal government is paying 75% of the cost for the National Guard to continue helping foodbanks with distribution throughout the end of this calendar year. The other 25% is coming from the state.

About 350 Guard personnel are working with foodbanks. The Guard has also been helping with COVID pop-up testing sites and medical assistance at nursing homes.

Contact Jo Ingles at jingles@statehousenews.org.
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