The financial and emotional strains of COVID-19 and the job losses it created made food unaffordable for more Ohioans in 2020. Food insecurity rapidly increased as many, some for the first time, waited in long lines at pantries and other outlets for free food. According to numbers from the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, which serves 20 counties including Franklin, 65.7 million pounds of food were distributed from last March 1 through Dec. 31, 2020, a 23% increase from the 53.4 million pounds distributed during the same months in 2019. The number of new families during that time period in 2020 was 52,556, which represents a 24.7% increase in the number of new families compared to 2019. Of all families served last year, 28.5% were new.