Ak Cant Foodbank 1

Community donations helped food pantries survive SNAP shutdown

- Amanda Smith

Local donors helped food pantries in Summit and Portage counties meet rising demand last year, even as government funding declined and a temporary SNAP disruption sent more families seeking help for the first time.

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank distributed more than 42 million pounds of food in 2025, about 5% more than the year before, despite losing an estimated 6 million pounds of food tied to state and federal cuts, said Dan Flowers, president and CEO.

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