IHC Issues Recommendations to Gov. Reynolds to Address Food Insecurity

On August 15, Gov. Reynolds requested a waiver from the USDA to operate a summer feeding demonstration project instead of participating in Summer EBT. As the Iowa Hunger Coalition stated at the time, we appreciate the fact that Gov. Reynolds recognizes the hunger crisis facing our state and that far too many Iowans facing food insecurity are not currently being served by nutrition programs.

As food banks, food pantries, and other anti-hunger organizations are assisting record-breaking numbers of Iowans, enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is near a 16-year low. This is an unsustainable path.

Recently, the Iowa Hunger Coalition learned that USDA denied Iowa’s request for federal funding to operate the proposed summer food box demonstration project.

It is our shared belief as Iowans that no child should go hungry. We are happy to offer our recommendations and expertise to Gov. Reynolds at this critical juncture. We believe that these policy recommendations provide the best path forward to reduce hunger and food insecurity in our state.  

The Iowa Hunger Coalition recommends Gov. Reynolds take the following actions:

  1. Take immediate action to ensure Iowa participates in Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) in 2025.
  2. Raise the income eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL).
    • Increasing the income eligibility for SNAP up from 160% FPL would allow the program to support Iowans of all ages whose household incomes are currently too high to qualify, but still struggle to put food on the table.
    • This would expand SNAP income eligibility to an estimated 200,000 Iowans, 50% of whom are children or seniors.
    • This would also increase the number of children eligible for Summer EBT and free school meals through direct certification.
    • Raising income eligibility can also encourage participation among individuals who already qualified—this is known as the “woodwork effect.”
    • Additionally, the asset test for SNAP included in Senate File 494 should be repealed before it can be implemented by July 2025, or families will be at risk of losing SNAP benefits next summer.

  3. Provide state investment in the Double Up Food Bucks program.
    • The Double Up Food Bucks program incentivizes the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables for SNAP participants.
    • In addition to a state appropriation, Iowa should also apply for federal matching funds available through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) to maximize the impact of its investment.
    • Double Up Food Bucks has an economic multiplier effect of 1.9, keeping dollars circulating in communities and positively contributing to Iowa’s local food system.
    • IHC commits to advocate at the federal level to allow SUN Bucks benefits to qualify for Double Up Food Bucks purchases.

  4. Expand efforts to increase participation in SNAP, WIC, free and reduced price school meals, and summer meal sites.
  5. Explore measures to eliminate food deserts in Iowa.
    • With grocery stores shuttering in both urban and rural areas of the state, Iowa should explore ways to keep stores open and establish new locations in existing food deserts.
    • Doing so will improve access to more nutritious and affordable food for all Iowans, including those using SNAP, WIC, and Summer EBT.
    • Research shows that without full-service grocery stores nearby, consumers pay more and have less access to nutritious options, in both urban and rural areas.

The above recommendations would bring in tens of millions of dollars in nutrition support to Iowans facing food insecurity, generate even more in local economic activity, and cost the state a mere fraction of the benefits we would receive.

All of these proposals have bipartisan appeal, with many of the above recommendations receiving previous support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Iowa legislature.

Feeding our children is an investment in the future of Iowa. When kids lack adequate nutrition, it has lasting impacts on the rest of their lives. We must do everything in our power to support the physical, mental, and emotional health of our children. No child, nor any Iowan for that matter, should ever go hungry.

We stand ready to work with Gov. Reynolds, state agencies, and the Iowa legislature to achieve these policy recommendations and our shared vision for a hunger-free Iowa.

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