Iowa is leading the nation in growth in its food stamp program. Federal statistics show that at the end of April there were 16 percent more Iowans getting food stamps than there were a year ago. Roger Munns of the Iowa Department of Human Services says for the past six months Iowa has been out-pacing other states in food stamp sign-ups. “You can attribute that not just to a sour economy and people still being eligible but because the state has been aggressively reaching out to people who are eligible to receive this benefit,” Munns says. Just over two-hundred thousand Iowans are getting aid to help buy food, a program financed by the federal government. The state serves in a paper shuffling role, determining who is eligible and how the benefit is delivered. Munns says a couple of changes have probably increased participation in the program. The state no longer issues paper food stamp coupons, but gives recipients a card that looks just like a debit card that can be swiped at the grocery check-out. “When people run through the grocery line, they look just like any other customer,” Munns says. In addition, there’s been a reduction in the “hassle factor” according to Munns because people must submit financial data once every six months instead of once a month to show they’re eligible. Munns says the application process is easier, too. There’s a toll-free call center at 1-877-YES-FOOD to start the balling rolling. “Trying to let people know if they’re eligible — not trying to get folks to get benefits who aren’t — that they’re entitled to this and to make the application process easier to do,” Munns says. There are still thousands of Iowans who are poor enough to receive food stamps, but haven’t signed up to get the benefit. Munns says Iowa hasn’t done a very good job of reaching people who are eligible. A couple of years ago, about 40 percent of eligible Iowans were getting food stamps. Today, about 55 percent of the Iowans who are eligible for the benefit are actually receiving it. “The first job of the nutrition program, of course, is to provide food for people who can’t otherwise afford it,” he says. According to Munns, the program also helps retailers who benefit from the additional spending in their stores, and farmers benefit indirectly, too, by feeding more people. Munns says his boss, the director of the Department of Human Services, has made it clear that efforts to sign more Iowans up for food stamps should continue.”The way the director explains it is that providing food for people who otherwise couldn’t afford it is the first social service. It’s the most basic one,” Munns says. “It doesn’t solve all the other problems that people who are poor will have and, you know, there are lots of them, but it makes the other ones more manageable, easier to deal with.”
