Reynolds’ healthy food plan seems designed not to work

This is the final month for Gov. Reynolds’ Healthy Kids Iowa (HKI) program. Since June, the state has been providing a food box per school-age child each month — instead of putting funds directly on an electronic card (known as Summer EBT) that eligible families can use at local grocery stores.

Without a doubt, Reynolds’ program has been a poor replacement for Summer EBT. It has served about 15% of the families previously helped (35,000 kids under HKI vs 240,000 under Summer EBT). Its monthly pickup system is inconvenient for providers, difficult for families without transportation, and limits participation by Iowa farmers. It seems designed not to work, but to avoid spending money on food-insecure Iowans.

When I visited the governor’s office with advocacy groups in late July, I mentioned a refugee family that lives 4.5 miles from the distribution site with no transportation. I was told about “Healthy Kids Direct,” a little-known program that mails shelf-stable food — not the fresh items provided at pickup sites — only for those with disability or transportation barriers that prevent them from visiting a HKI site. It’s not listed on the Department of Health and Human Services website, doesn’t meet federal guidelines, and is funded entirely by the state. DHHS staff told me it’s very small and unlikely to expand — perhaps by design.

Pair this with added work requirements, and the result is fewer families receiving help and more children going hungry. That’s the opposite of “Healthy Kids.”

Tom Rendon

Des Moines