COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ A new report on hunger finds that more than one in six Ohioans is struggling to get food on the table.
The data is part of Feeding America's national report on hunger. The study found that about 2 million Ohioans _ or 17 percent _ receive food assistance through the state's emergency food network. That's up from the last report in 2010, which found that 1 in 8 Ohioans were getting emergency food help.
Many individuals reported unreliable access to affordable and nutritious food, and 81 percent say they purchased cheap and unhealthy items to help themselves cope.
The Ohio Association of Foodbanks released the state figures Thursday. The organization says it's requesting $20 million per year in the state's next two-year budget to address the rising demand.
