The Hocking Athens Perry Community Action (HAPCAP) provides an abundance of resources to support the Southeast Ohio community, prioritizing their food needs and overcoming barriers to success.
Across the multitude of food pantries and centers, HAPCAP provides endless amounts of pamphlets mounted on their walls regarding information on career, utilities, housing and transportation services. Those collections of programs that the agency provides all aim to benefit the health of Southeast Ohio residents.
HAPCAP’s program, the Southeast Ohio Foodbank, is in Hocking County, where in 2023 the food insecurity rate was 17%, according to Feeding America. The SE Ohio Foodbank is a relief hub for many of the population within the 10-county region it serves.
The foodbank has been working persistently to reduce food insecurity and advocates for policies to end hunger. With the support of HAPCAP and as a member of Feeding America, they have the necessary resources to combat hunger.
“Sometimes hunger is not just about food. It’s also about dignity and stability and having the ability to thrive,” HAPCAP Public Relations Coordinator Valerie Addis says. “It can be hard to store meat if you don’t have electricity or a refrigerator. A lot of our other [HAPCAP] programs really do help fighting against hunger, even if they don’t look like direct food relief.”
The Southeast Ohio foodbank assists over 60,000 individuals, meeting their needs across 70 participating food pantries and meal providers. Since its opening in November 2024, the HAPCAP Health Market Pantry in Logan has received 9,394 visits.
Two months ago, the SE Ohio Coalition of Community Health Workers began a partnership with the Health Market Pantry and became a sit-in resource for individuals to connect and educate them on services such as SNAP, childcare or GED programs.
HAPCAP is home to many services that benefit the quality of life for Southeast Ohioans. Over 30 programs are available that advocate, empower and promote self-sufficient lifestyles. From assistance with utility payments to repairing the foundation of houses, HAPCAP puts the health and safety of individuals’ needs first.
“I’ll talk to the people that come here to shop and see if I can find out what their needs are and help them connect to the different things at HAPCAP,” Community Health Worker, Ronda Clark says. “We’re just trying to be that connection so that these people who come in here can also tap into these other resources besides the food.”
Clark also helps direct people to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and determines whether individuals qualify for SNAP or where they fall on the poverty line to receive financial aid. SNAP is a temporary aid for individuals to find their way back on their feet and provides basic needs while stabilizing a household.
On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, which will effectively cause major cuts to the SNAP program.
“As changes are made, [they] affect folks in our area and they have less access to purchase food from the grocery store on their own,” Addis says. “We know that this will, in turn, impact the food bank directly, as a lot of the time the next place that folks can turn to is the food pantry network.”
This new law also changes eligibility standards and work requirements, making the job of community health workers even more important. Since the partnership with the Coalition, the Logan Health Market has become a training site for community health workers, Ohio University Rural Experience in Appalachian Community Health students and social work interns.
“We help these people get what they need… health insurance, SNAP, how to cook, how to deal with childcare,” Clark says. “Things like that that pull people back from being successful, there’s a team of us.”
Beyond the 50 years of HAPCAP services, Community Action has always been at the forefront of non-profit organizations. Volunteers are vital to the SE Ohio Foodbank. Many returning volunteer groups help pack food boxes and make a whole day of it.
The nonprofit women’s group, Athens Friends and Newcomers, has created an interest group called the Helpful Packers, which volunteers with the foodbank every six weeks. What started as a topic for their newsletter became an activity that gave them purpose.
“And [we] just got to talking and what the ladies like to do. We’re only a social club, we aren’t a profit club. So they wanted to do something that they are able to do,” Helpful Packers Group Leader Jane Newton says.
Despite the challenges that have come this year, the HAPCAP team and volunteers have committed themselves to continuing their work.
“Our mission has always been the same, and it’s to fight hunger and improve nutrition and strengthen community health in our area across Southeast Ohio,” Addis says
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