Month: May 2026

Hey everyone, it’s Luke Elzinga, board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition. Thank you all for your advocacy over this past state legislative session. You should be incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished this year! It feels like a high note in our collective work together. And you know what they say about high notes.

Next month, I will be stepping down from the board of the Iowa Hunger Coalition. It has truly been an honor helping to lead IHC for the past seven years and assisting with its initial formation nearly ten years ago. I’ve formed deep friendships and have gotten to meet so many amazing Iowans through this coalition and work. It’s your solidarity and support that has kept me going over the years.

I’m excited to share that my family will be moving up to Anchorage this summer to start a new life adventure in Alaska. The prospect of new beginnings can inspire both excitement and fear. I’ve certainly experienced this myself recently. This was not an easy decision to make, and I am really going to miss working with all of you. I’m also excited about what comes next, not only for me, but for the Iowa Hunger Coalition.

IHC will celebrate its 10th anniversary this December. Yes, a lot of our work has been defending programs from harmful changes, and we’ve had some hard losses. We’ve also grown our coalition and had some big wins, too: sales tax exemption for emergency feeding organizations, state investments in local food purchasing programs and Double Up Food Bucks, and Summer EBT.

What’s in store for the next 10 years for IHC? We want your feedback! Please take our 2026 partner survey by Friday, June 5.

While this is goodbye to Iowa for me (at least for now), please know I’ll always be a friend, supporter, and advocate of IHC. Don’t be shy to reach out and keep in touch with me via my personal email, lukeelzinga@gmail.com, or via social media.

We are seeking passionate anti-hunger advocates to join our board of directors!

IHC’s mission is made possible thanks to our amazing network of supporters, dedicated dues-paying members, and our volunteer board of directors. We are constantly working to build the movement to fight hunger, and we want you to consider playing a larger role in this important work.

We are seeking applicants for our board from a variety of racial, geographic, and professional backgrounds, and are particularly interested in applicants with:

• lived experience with hunger and food insecurity
• experience with advocacy and/or lobbying on state and federal nutrition policy
• communications and media relations training
• familiarity with direct-service food access programs or organizations

We strongly encourage anyone who is interested to apply, even if your experience does not perfectly align with one or more of the skill sets outlined above!

To apply, simply send an email titled “Board Application” to iowahungercoalition@gmail.com by Friday, June 5, with the following:

• A copy of your resume
  
• Short answers to the following two questions:
  • “Why does hunger exist?”
  • “Why do you want to join IHC’s board of directors?”

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally if you have any questions about joining IHC’s board – I’d be happy to answer them.

I hope I get the chance to see you all in person before I leave. I’ll still be around for another month or so, and if you’re in the Des Moines area, please reach out to find a time to meet up before I go. And if you’re ever Alaska-bound, I expect a visit. 😉

It’s cheesy, but I’ve always liked signing off with the following line that feels especially poignant this time:

Thank you for your ongoing advocacy!

After a marathon weekend of late-night negotiations, amendments, debate, and votes, the 2026 Iowa state legislative session has officially adjourned. As the dust settles—and we all breathe a collective sigh of relief—it’s evident how strong our coalition stands today. 

Although we faced challenges and saw some negative policy changes like the codification of Iowa’s SNAP restrictions and “welfare reform” measures that make it harder for mixed-status immigrant households to access SNAP, we also made some incredible progress.

Thanks to your advocacy and the hard work of all our coalition partners, we achieved major wins this session:

• Securing a $1 million standing state appropriation for the Double Up Food Bucks program, which helps families who rely on SNAP afford more fresh fruits and vegetables.
  
  
• Maintaining $200,000 for the Choose Iowa Food Bank Purchasing Program and establishing and funding the new Choose Iowa School Purchasing Program with an additional $200,000 to connect kids with more nutritious, locally grown food.
  
  
• Ensuring Iowa allocated the funding needed to administer the Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) program, fill the SNAP administrative funding budget gap from changes in HR1, and modernize eligibility IT systems at Iowa HHS.
  
  
• Defending SNAP, WIC, and school nutrition programs from the most harmful proposed changes, including further restrictions to non-citizen eligibility for WIC, a waiver to re-write federal school nutrition standards, and a 12-month residency requirement for public assistance programs.
  

Throughout it all, you showed up, spoke out, and made a difference. We can’t thank you enough for all the emails you sent, all the phone calls you made, and all the conversations you had—not only with elected officials, but also with your family, friends, and neighbors.

Please take a minute to contact your state Representative and Senator and thank them for investing in Double Up Food Bucks, Choose Iowa, and Summer EBT!

The fight to end hunger is far from over. SNAP enrollment continues to fall while food banks and food pantries are still facing record-breaking need. Progress can be slow, but we make it infinitely faster when we work together to create positive change. Thank you for all you do.