When the state budget ax starts swinging like it is these days in Ohio, the chance of "penny wise and pound foolish" thinking increases.

A prime example is eliminating $4.5 million a year in state money for two food programs run by the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks. The dollars buy, distribute and process food for local food pantries and soup kitchens. The programs are proven, cost-effective public-private partnerships that help Ohio's needy and working poor, as well as farmers and commodities producers. They're an important piece of helping the working poor stay off welfare.

The Ohio Food Program takes advantage of the power of buying in bulk to supply local food banks and soup kitchens with shelf-stable foods such as peanut butter and canned tuna. The Ohio Agricultural Surplus Production Alliance Program buys surplus fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs and meat from Ohio farmers. It reimburses them pennies on the dollar to pick, pack and transport crop surpluses that otherwise would be plowed under or unsold. This gives food banks tremendous dollar leverage to buy fresh food for a fraction of what it would cost retail. "It gives poor and hungry people fresh, nutritious food and protein they can't afford and it helps farmers break even," said Steve Gibbs, president of the FreeStore/FoodBank in Cincinnati.

These two food programs provide 17 percent of all the food distributed through Second Harvest's 88-county food aid network. Since 1997, the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks received state tax money to support food programs in communities statewide. Helping families coming off welfare, funding grew from $1.5 million to $4.5 million in 2002.

Ohio lawmakers are wrestling with Gov. Taft's proposed budget of $49 billion for 2004-05, up from the current $45 billion. With less state money to spend, many worthy programs will have to be cut. We're wary of "earmarked" items in any budget because they've been so abused. But as the demand for emergency food assistance increases, we urge Ohio lawmakers to preserve this critical and cost-effective safety net for the working poor.

On The 'Net

FreeStore/FoodBank:
www.freestorefoodbank.org

Second Harvest Foodbanks:
www.secondharvest.org