COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Food banks for central Ohio provide for thousands of families and that is no different this holiday season.

At the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Senior Vice President of Operations Brad Draper said they are seeing record-high need within the community.

“Food is moving through this warehouse faster than it has ever moved before,” Draper said. “Thanksgiving and the holidays are all about food and it’s no different for those families in the community who have trouble putting food on the table.” 

The Mid-Ohio Food Collective serves twenty counties across the state and Draper said the lines keep growing. 

“In May of 2022, we started seeing our numbers increase higher than they’d ever been at any point during the pandemic and unfortunately they’ve just continued to increase,” Draper said. “This October was 21% higher than last October, which was already the highest October we’ve had on record.”

On average, each year, the collective serves about 620,000 people. This October alone, the collective served more than 150,000 visits, just over 100,000 of those were in Franklin County. 

“So that’s just an example of the magnitude of the need we’re seeing this time of year and frankly for the last year and a half,” Draper said.

He said some of the increased need can be attributed to government programs that once helped families during the pandemic going away.

“Families that were getting by and living on the margins have now found themselves in a place where they need help,” he said.  

And Draper said while Thanksgiving and the holidays are when this is top of mind for some, the need is there, even after the holidays.

“Hunger doesn’t know holiday so even in January, February, March, there’s still going to be a need for food in our community,” he said.  

To find a food bank near you, visit Freshtrak and type in your zip code.