🍎 Food Pantries Around Columbus Need Your Help

Plus: 🐶 The Wag Brings A Dog-Forward Social Space To Columbus

Author

Chelsea Wiley
October 24, 2025

In partnership with

Sponsored by PromoWest 🎸
No one does live music in Columbus quite like PromoWest. They’ve got some fantastic shows coming up, including Lovejoy, The Wombats, All Them Witches, and more. To see what’s on the calendar, or to grab tickets to a show, head over to promowestlive.com.

Hello, Friday! Chelsea here.

In Ohio, 1,800,530 people are facing hunger, and of them, 517,450 are children. As the government shutdown continues, many families across Central Ohio are now confronting even greater uncertainty. Programs like SNAP and WIC may see strain soon, and local food pantries are already reporting unprecedented demand. If you’re looking to help out, it’s a meaningful time to donate food, time, or funds to organizations working hard to keep our community fed.

Navigator Feature Story: 🍎 How To Donate To Food Pantries Around Columbus

🐶 The Wag Brings A Dog-Forward Social Space To Columbus
Columbus just got its first true dog-and-people bar. The Wag opens soon in Fifth by Northwest, offering a space where pups can play off-leash while their humans enjoy a drink and some good company.

🥾 The Moonville Tunnel May Have A Spooky History, But It's Also A Beautiful Place For A Hike
Step into Ohio’s haunted past with a visit to the Moonville Tunnel, the last standing remnant of a 19th-century ghost town hidden deep in Zaleski State Forest. Whether you’re chasing ghost stories or scenic hikes, the Moonville Rail Trail offers a hauntingly beautiful adventure through history and nature.

Headlines 📰 

🏈 The Ohio High School Athletic Association has proposed new rules that would allow student-athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) under specific restrictions. The move follows a court ruling temporarily permitting NIL deals, and schools are expected to vote on the proposal in mid-November. (NBC4)

💵 The Ohio House has approved two bills aimed at providing more than $2 billion in property tax relief over the next three years. Supporters hail it as the biggest property tax reform in decades, while critics say the relief barely touches everyday Ohioans and leaves local schools and services underfunded. (WOSU)

⚠️ Staff at Ohio State’s Wexner Center for the Arts are raising serious concerns about leadership under executive director Gaëtane Verna. Current and former employees cite high turnover, financial mismanagement, and a toxic workplace culture, while the university reviews a formal vote of no confidence submitted by 13 staff members. (Matter News)

☀️ Weather: 56 and mostly sunny, with patchy frost before 9 a.m.

Sponsored by Decorative Arts Center of Ohio 🖼️
🥂 Food for Thought: A Taste of the Canton Museum of Art is on view from September 27 – January 4. You can explore an exhibit that dives into what we eat, how we eat it, and the culture we create around the table. From American art to agricultural traditions, these works celebrate food as community, memory, and ritual. Come hungry for inspiration and gather around the CMA table! More info at decartsohio.org.

Coming Up 📆

Today's Photo 🤳

🍁 It’s finally starting to look like fall out there, friends. Alum Creek State Park (pictured above) is approaching peak fall colors, so get out there and enjoy it!

Want your photo to be featured? Use #columbusnavigator or tag us!

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- Chelsea