Columbiana County’s share of a settlement from the State of Ohio’s lawsuit against Dollar General over price discrepancies will go to local food pantries.

In a news release Thursday, Columbiana County Auditor Nancy Milliken announced the decision to send the $14,266.77 to the agencies.

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Milliken said her office worked with Mahoning Valley Second Harvest Food Bank, which supports hunger relief organizations in Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull counties.

The lawsuit was filed in 2022 by Ohio Attorney General David Yost against Dollar General. The suit followed an investigation into the Tennessee-based company’s pricing.

Ohio’s County Auditors’ Weights and Measures inspectors found that prices in many of Dollar General’s stores were not correctly ringing at registers, with products costing more than was listed on the shelf.

The lawsuit was settled in 2023 for $1 million. Of the settlement, $750,000 went to the office of the Attorney General, and $250,000 was used to cover penalty and investigative costs.

Yost announced his office’s share of the $750,000 would go to Ohio’s food banks and asked each county auditor to pick one to receive their share. The money then was disbursed based on the number of Dollar General stores located in each county.

Second Harvest will disburse the money as grants to 24 food pantries in the county. Each will receive $592.78, with one receiving an extra 5 cents for rounding.

Dollar General admitted to no wrongdoing in the settlement. However, under the settlement, the company agreed to provide enough staffing coverage to keep shelf prices up to date. For customers who find an item that costs more than the shelf price, the company has to honor the shelf price and fix the incorrect price within 24 hours. District managers also have to conduct random price checks.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Columbiana pantries to net lawuit settlement funds