After SNAP-Ed, Ohio food banks fill education gaps for seniors

By Farah Siddiqi

Since the nutrition education program known as "SNAP-Ed" ended as part of federal budget cuts, food banks across Ohio are adjusting how they help people stretch food budgets and manage diet-related health needs.

Some are having hands-on cooking and nutrition classes, especially for older people on fixed incomes. At Second Harvest Food Bank of Champaign, Clark and Logan Counties, the staff has expanded their cooking classes to local senior centers, focusing on meals built around foods seniors receive through assistance programs.

Natasha Ridenour, outreach specialist for the food bank, said the classes grew out of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides monthly boxes of shelf-stable foods to eligible seniors.

"We wanted to be able to go in to our seniors and say, 'We can teach you how to make simple, easy, less costly meals.' And we based it off of our CSFP commodity box," she said.

Ridenour said the classes are held in person using a mobile kitchenette. Participants cook at least two recipes during each session.

SNAP-Ed, which for decades offered free nutrition and cooking classes, officially ended Oct. 1. Food banks have said the loss leaves a gap, especially for people on tight budgets managing chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

As SNAP-Ed wound down, Ridenour said, older clients increasingly asked how to stretch small SNAP benefits to make more balanced meals. She said the classes now include conversations about low-sodium cooking, budgeting and making the most of shelf-stable foods. For Ridenour, the goal goes beyond recipes.

"Everybody deserves to eat healthy, nutritious food," she said. "Everybody."

Food banks have said they'll continue to look for ways to pair food assistance with practical education, including online tools such as CelebrateYourPlate.org. And they'll also work with community partners to reach people who've been affected by the end of SNAP-Ed.