Gov. Kim Reynolds announces $5M in food bank grants

DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday the state will direct $5 million in federal dollars to fund grants for construction and improvements at food banks and food networks in the state.

The money will be awarded by the Iowa Economic Development Authority and can be used only for new construction, expansion or rehabilitation of an existing facility. Eligible organizations include food banks — large hubs that provide food to pantries in a region — and food pantry networks, while individual food pantries are not eligible.

The $5 million will come from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, according to a fact sheet on the authority’s website.

“Access to fresh foods is a challenge for those facing food insecurity and soaring inflation has made it even harder,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Iowa is making long-term investments to reduce food insecurity in our communities — supporting food banks and their networks to better serve those in need. This one-time infrastructure investment will help improve capacity and distribution at Iowa’s food banks, and ensure more Iowans have access to the food they need.”

The grants can be used for existing or upcoming construction projects and will fund at most 25 percent of the total project cost, capped at $2 million, according to the state. Applications will be open until July 1. Projects must be completed by June 30, 2026.

Linda Gorkow, executive director of the Iowa Food Bank Association, said the funds are needed with rising food costs and a record number of Iowans seeking help.

“It’s a step in the right direction in the work of nourishing Iowans,” she said in a statement.

Blake Willadsen, a spokesperson for the Des Moines Area Religious Council, a food pantry network in the Des Moines metro area, said infrastructure improvements like the grant supports really are secondary to the network’s need to keep up with rising food costs and a stark increase in people needing food pantry services.

“I understand that in order to meet the need, we’ve got to have the infrastructure in place to do so, but it's not really addressing the root cause of what people are experiencing with poverty here,” he said. “And at the end of the day, the services that we offer are meant to be a temporary solution. And building out the infrastructure isn't necessarily the best answer.”

Willadsen said the network has been working on consolidating some of its operations into one headquarters, but he did not know whether the network will apply for a grant.

Iowa Republican lawmakers passed a bill this year that would increase asset tests and add verification requirements for Iowans on SNAP, Medicaid and other public assistance programs — which would render thousands no longer eligible for those services. Reynolds has not yet signed the bill, which supporters said would save taxpayer dollars and increase accountability in Iowa’s public assistance programs.

The Des Moines Area Religious Council and other groups urged Reynolds to veto it.

At the federal level, a debt ceiling deal reached by congressional leaders this week would increase work requirements for SNAP, requiring able-bodied adults up to 54 to work 20 hours a week to receive the food assistance benefits. Current law has work requirements for people up to 49.

“SNAP is our most effective tool for the fight against food insecurity,” Willadsen said. “At our food pantry network, our food pantries and our food banks across the state of Iowa, we're doing everything we can to make sure that we're meeting the needs of people that are seeking out assistance, but SNAP is the most direct and simple way to help those folks.”