The program that used to be known as food stamps is now reaching 403,000 Iowans a month. SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is the country’s largest “safety net” program.

More than 47-million Americans get monthly benefits. Former Iowan Kevin Concannon, the U.S.D.A.’s Undersecretary for Food and Nutrition, says the number of people getting food assistance rises every year.

Concannon says, “Going back to the 1960s, SNAP has served as the foundation of America’s national nutrition safety net and it has become even more important during this extended recession of the past four to five years.” Concannon served as director of the Iowa Department of Human Services from 2003 to 2008.

Laura Tiehen is with the U.S.D.A.’s Economic Research Service and says federal food assistance programs offer significant help to low-income residents in Iowa and nationwide. “Adding SNAP benefits to family income reduces the poverty rate but SNAP benefits have a much larger effect in reducing the depth and severity of poverty,” Tiehen says.

“This is particularly true for children.” Tiehen says the number of families applying for food assistance hit record highs during the onset of the last decade’s recession. “The anti-poverty affect of SNAP steadily increased over the past decade as the SNAP caseload increased in response to worsening economic conditions,” she says.

“The anti-poverty affect was particularly strong in 2009.” Tiehen says providing food benefits to families in need is having a clear impact. She says, “From 2000 to 2009, SNAP benefits reduced the poverty rate by an average of 4.4%, reduced the depth of poverty by an annual average by 10.3-percent and the severity of poverty by an annual average of 13.2%.”

Eligibility is based on several factors, including: household size, deductions, employment, elderly or disabled. To see if you qualify, visit: www.snap-step1.usda.gov/fns/

A new publication aims to teach western Iowans and eastern Nebraskans a little more about the origins of their food. Despite the name, “edibleOmaha,” co-publisher Lucy Wilson says the quarterly magazine is designed for the entire region.

 Wilson plans to showcase farmers, chefs, vintners, brewmasters, retailers and farmers markets in both states.

She says, “Our mission is to connect people to their local food sources by telling stories of our local farmers, chefs, entrepreneurs and even as common as our community gardens, our home chefs, home canners and to help us to connect to the most viable part of our lifestyle which is the food that we eat.” Wilson says it’s also important that city-dwellers know where their food originates.

“The majority of our true local food source comes within a 100-to-200 mile radius into our city, so we want to be able to focus on the stories that talk about the ample amount of food that’s really available year-round,” she says. Many of Iowa’s popular festivals revolve around our ancestors — from Holland, Germany, Ireland, Norway and elsewhere. Wilson says stories in the magazine will strive to zero in on those cultural touchstones and traditions.

“Be able to connect people to their roots,” she says, “why it’s important to maintain these traditions and the need to be able to pass along what I consider almost a life skill to our future generations of how to grow your food, preserve your food and celebrate your food.” Wilson says “edibleOMAHA” will be published quarterly so it’ll change from spring to summer and from fall to winter.

She says, “It is seasonal so we will follow the seasonality of our food and our food systems as to what’s in season including recipes and featuring the cooks, the chefs or the events that are around the seasonal foods, introducing the farmers.” The first issue will be available at select locations tomorrow and will be distributed to more locations across the region soon.

Learn more at: EdibleOmaha.com.