TROTWOOD, Ohio (WDTN) — A new study shows that Ohioans who visit one of the food banks in search of food are faced with a major choice. The Ohioans in need of food have to determine whether they are going to pay for food or just pay their bills.

The Foodbank says they’re seeing in areas that are more impacted by food insecurity, the people are also more impacted by inflation. The organization is holding mass food distributions like this one to get the food directly into the community.

Obie McGee is a resident of Trotwood and says the skyrocketing prices at the grocery store are making it harder and harder for people to purchase food. It was his first time visiting a food distribution event.

“There’s a whole lot of people out here in Trotwood that need food and everything,” McGee said. “Eggs then got higher and just about everything you can find and one up. So yeah, none the same.”

A study by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks found that eight in ten people who visit a foodbank are there for help because of ongoing inflation. For a majority of people seeking help, it means people have to make a decision on whether they will be spending their money on food, gasoline, utilities or even important medications.

“Times are really tough right now. People have been dealing with rising inflation and persistently high food costs,” Amber Wright, development and marketing coordinator at The Foodbank said. “And when the snap emergency allotments ended, a lot of people struggled to put food on the table.”

Wright says even though the non-profit organization is providing food for the community, The Foodbank is also attempting to stop hunger at its source.

“We want to start looking at some of the policies that are putting people in our line in the first place.”

McGee says he’s very thankful for The Foodbank, since they are helping people in the Trotwood community that are actually in need.

“I think it’s just a blessing with what they’re doing for people right now,” McGee said.

The Foodbank said they were expecting for more than 700 families to pass through the line to pick up food. Families that did not make it through would be given resources to their weekly food distribution and other services in the community.