In a March 19 visit to Mid-Ohio FoodBank, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown announced that he has sponsored an amendment to the Senate budget bill that provides $40 million for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to help foodbanks across the country cope with huge loses in commodities supplied by federal food programs.

Brown has been working to secure the funding for TEFAP to address the food bank crisis until a permanent fix can be passed in the Farm Bill.  “Negotiators are continuing to work through House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill to reconcile differences and to settle on a measure that will gain President Bush’s support,” said Senator Brown.

Matt Habash, president and CEO of Mid-Ohio FoodBank, said, “The decrease in food from the federal government has left a huge hole in our supply.  We’ve seen a 32 percent decrease in the last three years—over 2.9 million pounds. Getting additional USDA commodities into our system is critical if food pantries are to have well-stocked shelves with sufficient staples for the increasing number of families they are helping.” 

New Albany Cooking with Friends, a nonprofit cooking club, has recently published a cookbook to benefit local charities.   New Albany Cooking with Friends feels strongly about giving back to the community and especially to women’s and children’s causes. Proceeds from sales and sponsorships will benefit the Mid-Ohio Food Bank as well as local organizations including New Albany Safety Town and Adventure Playground, and New Albany Special Connections.

Their cookbook entitled A Signature Collection, was published in celebration of the group’s fifth year anniversary.   According to Marilu Faber, New Albany Cooking with Friends Founder and Co-Chair, “This superior quality cookbook will showcase an exceptional array of treasured recipes from the Cooking with Friends archives as well as stunning full-color photographs of our beautiful community.”