COLUMBUS, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine visited Ohio food banks on Friday to thank National Guard members, who are finally set to demobilize after nearly 16 months of helping with meal distribution efforts.
Members of the Ohio National Guard were called to assist with food distribution when the pandemic first took hold in March 2020. Since then, they have helped receive, package, and distribute roughly 150 million pounds of food to more than 2.9 million Ohioans.
That service comes to an end on Friday.
"This is a transitional day," said DeWine, who visited the MidOhio Food Collective Harvest Foodbank for the occasion. During his visit, DeWine detailed how the pandemic upended life as Ohioans knew it, leaving many without work or food security.
"The guard was there," said DeWine. "The National Guard has played an integral part in our battle against COVID."
Food banks were not the only area guard members stepped up to assist with during the pandemic. The Ohio National Guard also contributed with COVID-19 testing, and then worked alongside health officials with vaccine rollout.
"This is kind of a bittersweet day as we continue to transition out," said DeWine.
