HF 3 passes the buck to food pantries, churches

In 2022, the Coralville Community Food Pantry experienced a 58% increase in the number of pantry visits and home deliveries fulfilled. During the same period, charitable giving (food and financial donations) dropped by 40% and our food inventory diminished to historic lows due to global supply chain issues. This is a story shared by food pantries throughout Iowa — in some areas, the circumstances are even more grim.

I ask my fellow Iowans to urge members of the Iowa House Health and Human Services Committee to not advance House File 3 — a cruel piece of legislation that would “restrict SNAP participants’ ability to make their own food choices, take food away from Iowans, and increase hunger and food insecurity in our state” (Source: www.IowaHungerCoalition.org/protect-snap/).

There has never been a good time to push Iowans off of SNAP, but this moment is especially inopportune. Moving forward with HF 3 would simply pass the buck to food pantries and churches to fight hunger on their own, forcing thousands of Iowans to go without the food they need.

The need is higher than ever.

Donations are down.

Food supplies have dwindled.

Iowa needs a strong food safety net and that begins with protecting SNAP.

John Boller

Executive Director, Coralville Community Food Pantry

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