Iowa is introducing a new program to combat child hunger during the upcoming summer break. The state has decided to opt out of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s summer EBT program for 2024, which provided $120 per school-aged child from low-income families for grocery purchases over the summer months. In 2023, more than 244,000 children received pandemic summer EBT cards in Iowa, totaling over $29 million in federal funds.
Instead of participating in the EBT program, Iowa allocated $900,000 in competitive grants to establish 61 new sites for existing federal nutrition programs that offer summer meals and snacks to low-income children through schools and nonprofit organizations. For the upcoming summer, Iowa plans to offer grocery boxes each month as an alternative to the EBT option. The state believes this approach will help stretch program funds by purchasing in bulk, combat inflation costs for families, select nutritious foods for the boxes, and broaden eligibility for families.
Kelly Garcia, director of Iowa’s health and human services agency, stated that addressing food insecurity and obesity requires more than just cash benefits and should actively promote health and nutrition-dense food to reach all Iowa children in need. However, critics, including Democrats, remain unconvinced of this new approach, arguing that providing funds directly to families for grocery purchases would be more efficient.
State Senator Sarah Trone-Garriott, who worked with a local food pantry network during the pandemic, expressed concerns about the volunteer-based effort required for the grocery boxes program and emphasized the accessibility and effectiveness of the federal EBT program in meeting the urgent needs of Iowa families facing food insecurity.
Iowa justified its decision not to participate in the 2024 EBT program due to operational redundancies with existing programs, high administrative costs, and the lack of a nutritional focus. The state estimated that covering half of the administrative costs of the EBT program would have amounted to $2.2 million last year. However, the cost of the new grocery box program and expected federal funding have not been disclosed.
The proposed program would allow low-income families to pick up their summer grocery boxes or opt for delivery, particularly for those facing transportation challenges. Iowa highlighted that delivery, not offered by the existing EBT program, would enhance convenience for families, but did not provide specifics on the number of families eligible for delivery or the logistics of implementation statewide.