The Columbus Foundation has announced grants totaling $1.5 million to address housing instability and food insecurity in central Ohio.

The grants include $1 million over five years to the Mid-Ohio Food Collective in support of capital improvements and the direct service activities of the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, and $500,000 to IMPACT Community Action in support of the HOPE Fund, which provides rental and mortgage assistance to help Franklin County residents facing eviction.

"We know the road ahead is going to be long and hard, but we want the community to know that we understand the challenges we are facing, and we are in this together," said Amy Acton, who oversees the foundation's kindness work. "When it seems like the days are at their darkest, it is so encouraging to see donors rallying around their fellow neighbors to get us to the other side of these difficult times."

"We are incredibly grateful for our longstanding partnership with the Columbus Foundation in helping us to meet the hunger challenges in our community," said Mid-Ohio Food Collective president and CEO Matt Habash. "This generous gift to the Mid-Ohio Food Collective's comprehensive campaign will advance many of the innovations we are making to serve our neighbors through our evolving Mid-Ohio Markets, Mid-Ohio Farm on the Hilltop, and our data and insight platforms. Thanks to partners like the Columbus Foundation [that] share our passion in ending hunger, together, we can build hunger-free healthier communities."

(Photo credit: IMPACT Community Action)