Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Director Douglas Lumpkin announced this week that Ohio has begun receiving significant funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for programs that provide food to the state's neediest families.

Among other things, the Recovery Act provides the following help for very low-income Ohio families and children:

• It increases benefits for Food Assistance recipients by 13.6 percent, which amounts to an extra $20-24 per person per month. Those receiving food assistance have automatically received this increase since April 1. Ohio also will receive $5.5 million to implement this increase and administer the program.
• It provides an additional $3.9 million for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which provides food and federal administrative funds to states to distribute to food banks. As a result, Ohio's food banks will be able to purchase about 2.8 million additional pounds of food.

The act also gives Ohio an additional $998,000 in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2009 and approximately the same amount for FFY 2010 to store and distribute this food. These funds are available now.

"We are happy to be able to distribute this funding to the families who so desperately need it," said ODJFS Director Douglas Lumpkin. "This money will help thousands of Ohio's families sustain themselves during this difficult time, so they can continue to provide for their children while they try to get back on their feet again."

To apply for food assistance, applicants must fill out a "Request for Cash, Food Stamp and Medical Assistance" form and submit it to their local county department of job and family services. Forms can be obtained online, at jfs.ohio.gov/ofam/cmandfsa.stm, or by calling or visiting a county agency. A list of county agencies with contact information can be found at jfs.ohio.gov/County/cntydir.stm.