Articles Tagged: Food banks

The move comes less than a week after the end of a government shutdown that delayed the distribution of SNAP funds.

Iowa households that rely on food assistance will begin receiving their long-delayed November SNAP benefits after Congress ended the 43-day federal government shutdown, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday.

The funds will come from the Witwer Trust Grant Program, a private trust that provides funding annually for nonprofits serving Linn County residents.

As the shutdown disrupts food aid and open enrollment begins, Iowa Democrats Zach Wahls and Josh Turek urged Republicans to act on health care and hunger. Hinson’s campaign countered that Democrats are “using vulnerable Iowans as leverage” in the standoff.

The crises at the heart of the government shutdown fight in Washington were coming to a head Saturday.

Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday announced plans to deploy the Iowa National Guard, match $1 million in food bank donations and recruit volunteers to help feed families if federal SNAP benefits stop Nov. 1 amid the federal government shutdown.

New lawsuit by Democratic state officials seeks to uncork emergency money for SNAP benefits.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered Iowa HHS to work with food banks as federal officials warn that SNAP benefits may not go out Nov. 1. Food pantries say they’re already seeing higher demand and they’re bracing for a surge if payments are disrupted.

The federal government shutdown hasn’t affected food aid yet, but Iowa’s contingency funding for WIC could run out if the standoff in Washington drags on.

Food banks in Iowa will get $200,000 in new funding this year to address food insecurity by buying fresh food — such as dairy products, meat, poultry, eggs, grains, honey and produce — from local producers.

What are grocery stores doing to divert food from landfills? And what happens to the food that doesn’t get sold?

Reductions in spending and tightened eligibility requirements on social safety net programs like Medicaid and food assistance being considered by Republicans in Congress will significantly reduce access to health care and food assistance, impacting thousand of low-income individuals and families across Linn County.

While cuts to federal funding for food assistance have not been as severe as some feared, they have combined with two other factors already posing challenges to local food pantries: a growing demand for more help, but inflation cutting into the supply.

The Hawkeye Area Community Action Program has been working with local producers -- like Dan and Debbie’s Creamery in Ely -- to supply the food bank using funds from Choose Iowa, a state program, and LFPA, a federal program.

Food pantries and food-based nonprofits are being overwhelmed with increasing need, and many have been unable to keep up. Community food providers are worried that without better collaborative efforts between pantries, and increased support from local government, food is going to become increasingly difficult to access in Linn County.