“There’s no real way to say how grateful I am. For us, every dollar matters,” Riley said. “So you can imagine how much 23,000 of them matter to us, especially around Christmas.”
Foodbank Inc. leaders and government officials met Wednesday to discuss the Dollar General settlement and the persistent need for hunger relief in the region.
“The Foodbank, Inc. has been working to eliminate hunger in Montgomery County for more than 40 years,” Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith said. “I am proud to direct these funds to The Foodbank, Inc. to help those in our community who are most in need.”
Dollar General has 32 locations in Montgomery County. A total of 22 of these locations failed their inspections during a Montgomery County Auditor’s Office sweep of the dollar store chain in 2022, an endeavor that began after the auditor received complaints about price tags not matching what was rung up during check-out.
If more than 2% of items tested are found to be inaccurately priced, the retailer fails its inspection.
Keith said on Wednesday that some locations in 2022 were seeing inspections with 40-60% of items being overpriced.
Last year, six Montgomery County locations failed inspections. The locations at 720 E. Main St. in Trotwood and 2312 N. Main St. in Dayton each failed four times or more last year before passing an inspection, according to the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office.
Keith said that in communities where people lack reliable transportation or a nearby grocery store, dollar store chains are often a resource they turn to for food and other staples.
“To me, this was about protecting both consumers and retailers,” he said. “We wanted to make sure the price was right.”
Keith said the diligence of his inspectors has put pressure on the dollar store chain, but people shopping in Montgomery County should remain vigilant.
If a consumer believes they are being overcharged at any retailer, he advises them to ask the store staff to correct the price. If they do not resolve the issue, consumers can call Keith’s Consumer Hotline at 937-225-6309 to request an inspection.
Last November, Ohio reached a $1 million settlement with Dollar General in a lawsuit filed over instances of overcharging at the company’s stores.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that the settlement amount would be distributed to hunger relief organizations in each of the state’s 88 counties, and that each county auditor would select the recipient of the money in their county.
The nearly $23,000 funding boost came at a time where food pantries are at their most busy, the Foodbank Inc. CEO said.
Food pantries and other organizations that help hungry people in the area are seeing consistent need: Foodbank Inc.’s drive-through on Wednesday alone saw 462 families seeking food, Riley said.
“Right before the tornadoes, we saw things start to decline,” Riley said. “Then we had tornadoes, then COVID. We have yet to see it stabilize.”
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