MARIETTA — The Buckeye Hills Foundation’s annual River Cruise on the Valley Gem will be held Oct. 13 and will feature Jimmy Burrow as the keynote speaker.

Burrow is the father of Joe Burrow, a Heisman Trophy winner and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, and the vice president of the Joe Burrow Foundation. Burrow will discuss how the foundation is fighting hunger in Ohio.

Attendees also will be among the first to learn about a new initiative from the Buckeye Hills Foundation to help older adults and individuals with disabilities in Appalachian Ohio overcome food insecurity.

Tickets are $25. The Valley Gem will depart at 2 p.m. and return at 4 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at buckeyehills.org/cruise.

“As Southeast Ohio’s Area Agency on Aging, Buckeye Hills Regional Council often receives desperate calls from individuals seeking help finding food resources,” said Sam Miller, Buckeye Hills Foundation executive director. “Buckeye Hills has seen a significant increase in these calls in recent months and the community organizations where we often send these individuals are facing dwindling resources and the pressures of inflation.”

The organization sees a significant gap where many social service programs end and food insecurity begins, he said.

“To address this need, we are launching a new initiative to provide older adults with the resources to bridge this gap,” Miller said.

About 5.2 million older Americans faced food insecurity in 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, food insecurity loomed even larger.

Pandemic-related increases to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was a solution that helped remedy the issue of food insecurity among older adults. Many individuals in the eight-county Buckeye Hills region found additional relief and security that came from increased funding for SNAP and other social programs.

However, with the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration, the safety net has been removed as benefits to the region’s most vulnerable populations have been drastically rolled back, with some individuals receiving as little as $23 in assistance for groceries.

“In a relatively short time, the Joe Burrow Foundation has been able to make strides in helping people deal with food insecurity, or helping children with mental health challenges, as well as other important areas of need in the Greater Cincinnati area,” Miller said. “We’re excited to have Jimmy Burrow share the story of that inspiring work with us as we prepare to launch our own homegrown initiative to make a difference in the lives of those facing similar challenges here in Southeast Ohio.”

The foundation promotes community and economic development through research, education, charity and training in support of the mission of Buckeye Hills Regional Council to improve the quality of life for residents in Southeast Ohio.