Starving children in the “Fields of Opportunity” state - Not a good look for Iowa

Mayra was cooking chicken and rice for her family after an exhausting day. She helps pay the bills by cooking and selling tamales, a delicious but tedious process. This process is complicated by trips to Iowa City to treat her only son’s medical condition, and the frequent care needed by her husband who is fighting cancer. Dinner was almost finished when the glass lid covering the pot shattered into the rice. Crying, she started to pray for a way to feed her family that night, when a volunteer came to the door with – you guessed it - chicken and rice. Knock and Drop knew about Mayra’s financial situation, and they had just happened to partner with a local grocery store to provide a hot dinner in addition to their food box distribution that evening.

Mayra and her family are among over 300,000 Iowans who face hunger. The faces look different, the stories involve different hardships for different periods of time, but the pain is similar. Which is why it is a relief that we are no longer in the minority of states holding out on submitting a plan to receive pandemic EBT funds for families this summer.

We need to continue to do the right thing by supporting this funding and other policies that make it easier for families to put food on their tables. The rate of child hunger in Iowa, which is one in eleven children, is higher than the adult rate. At the same time, resources that families can access are shrinking. Most of us do not need a primer on the harmful effects of hunger on physical and mental health, school achievement and employment. What does need more awareness are the economic benefits that farmers and local economies receive by providing direct cash food assistance to families.

Feeding programs are vitally important to our communities to provide emergency food assistance and connections to other resources. But feeding programs and food pantries are not ubiquitous in Iowa, especially in rural areas. During my visit to a Des Moines park on Tuesday, a city employee described families frequently asking her about a feeding program that once consistently served the neighborhood. Mothers express their desperation, and they lament the time and energy they invested in getting to the park only to find no food waiting for their hungry children. If staffing or other issues impact programs, it is intensely felt by families who lack sufficient funds for adequate meals.

State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, who also works at the DMARC Food Pantry, sees an immediate impact on food pantry utilization when SNAP and public benefit programs change. She also explained that direct cash assistance is better in helping lift people out of poverty, as well as reducing stress and improving their physical and mental well-being. But it is also good for the economy by helping support local business and farms, especially in rural communities. Every dollar in food assistance generates between $1.50 to $1.80 for local communities. There are equal numbers of Iowans receiving SNAP in rural and urban areas. These funds are a lifeline to families in rural Iowa who cannot access food pantries that are more commonly found in urban areas.

Last year, Iowa had a similar delay in applying for the SNAP Emergency Allotment program. Public pressure compelled the state to apply late, and families received benefits in the fall. This left children in limbo during the summer. Food, unfortunately, is first cut in family budgets, according to Trone Garriott. Families need to maintain their housing and transportation to get to school and work, but nutrition is often sacrificed by obtaining cheap food with high calories and low nutritional density, or skipping meals altogether to get by until parents can scrounge up the next meal.

Zuli Garcia founded Knock and Drop during the pandemic, when she was receiving phone calls from parents who were losing their jobs and didn’t qualify for food assistance. The program was intended to be time limited, but Zuli continued to receive phone calls from mothers who didn’t know how to feed their children. Knock and Drop serves over a thousand families a month. The case of tomatoes that used to cost her organization $10 is now $35. She says families are working hard, they simply cannot afford increased food costs due to inflation. The recent United Way ALICE report underscores this deficit that families face in making ends meet.

One Latina woman Zuli serves is a U.S. citizen and went to apply for SNAP due to an emergency. She was told by the case worker who processed her application “that is all you people come here for.” In contrast, organizations like Zuli’s recognize families do not simply want a handout. Food is more than just fuel for our bodies. Food fosters connection, it brings us joy. (If you disagree, I do hope you have never made anyone wait to eat while you post a picture of your meal to Instagram or Facebook.) Often it represents the love we have for family members and friends. Zuli ensures the food volunteers distribute is representative of the families she serves. Boxes include tortillas, onions, chorizo, maseca, and other items that her clients are used to preparing home-cooked meals with, and that will bring them moments of happiness as they eat together; a brief respite from the stress that food insecurity and long work hours bring. Spanish music plays as boxes filled with nutritious and desired food are picked up Wednesday afternoons, an intentional effort to make families feel welcome..

While some hungry families will have temporary relief with the pandemic EBT cards, others will soon face long term hardship. Senate File 494, is costly to all Iowans. It is a cruel way to kick families off a program that is funded by the federal government and will spend millions of state taxpayer dollars to pay administrative costs. While some will be out purchasing fireworks for the 4th this weekend, others are worrying whether they will be part of cuts during the incremental roll out of this law that started July 1.

We all need to keep up pressure on executive and legislative branches for better food policy. It is important to support local efforts like food pantries and meal service, especially those who serve with dignity and respect. Ms. Garcia asked “do you like Mexican food? Do you like Puerto Rican Food? Do you like pupusas? If you like our food, why wouldn’t we want to eat that food ourselves as well?”

You can call the governor’s office at 515-281-5211 and your legislator to urge them to seek feedback from affected families and the agencies that serve them, as well as to submit application for permanent EBT benefits, which is due January 1.

Chris Espersen is a Gazette editorial fellow. Chris.Espersen@thegazette.com