Representatives from the Iowa Hunger Coalition have met with state officials, hoping to convince Governor Kim Reynolds Iowa should participate in a federal program next summer that provides extra food for kids in low income households.
The program provides an extra $120 in summertime federal food assistance for each child who qualified for free or reduced price lunch at school. Reynolds cited administrative costs when she turned down the federal funds for the so-called “Summer EBT” program this summer.
Luke Elzinga, a spokesman for the coalition, says the USDA has announced it will provide grants to states, to cover technology expenses associated with the benefits.
There’s also a free online application that’s been developed that USDA is allowing states to use, so some of those administrative expenses might be addressed,” Elzinga says. “And, again, almost a quarter of a million kids throughtout the state of Iowa could benefit from this.”
Elzinga says food pantries in the state are overwhelmed.
“We hear from volunteers who are needing to take time off from volunteering because it is such a physically and emotionally demanding job in volunteer work to, you know, work a four hour shift at a food pantry and never have a break because there’s just a line out the door and it’s constant,” Elzinga says. “We absolutely think Summer EBT would help relieve some of the strain not just on families across Iowa, but on food banks, food panties and other service providers.”
Elzinga works for the Des Moines Area Religious Council food pantries, which saw record use in July.
“This is the case in urban areas, small towns, the suburbs. People are really struggling right now,” Elzinga says. “Summer EBT would be a huge help for those families during the summer.”
The Iowa Hunger Coalition delivered a petition to the governor’s office this week that was signed by over 3500 Iowans, urging Reynolds to accept extra federal food benefits next summer for low income students who qualify for free or reduced prices school lunches.