New plan would expand eligible families
By Dave Price
Published: Aug. 15, 2024 at 10:40 PM CDT|Updated: 8 hours ago
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) - Iowa families of four would make around $62,000 or less a year could receive free summer meals for their kids under a new proposal by Governor Kim Reynolds.
Reynolds faced criticism for declining $29 million in federal funding to take part in the USDA’s free meals program known as SUN Bucks for this summer. Instead, she opted for a much smaller state program that provided $900,000 to expand meal sites.
Food pantries have reported for months that they are experiencing record demand, much of it from working Iowans who don’t make enough money at their jobs to afford the necessities.
The federal program provided $120 per child on a debit card that families could use to buy food. Reynolds contended that the program doesn’t do enough to make sure the food would contain the adequate nutrition.
The new proposal from the government would provide boxes of food for children each month over the summer that would be distributed at participating sites, rather than the EBT cards mailed to families.
The governor said her proposal could feed more kids -- 300,000 versus 240,000 under the federal program -- in a cheaper way, while also providing nutritious food.
The state program would buy food at a bulk rate, which could be cheaper in comparison to the cost that families would buy groceries at the store under the federal program.
The USDA would have to approve a waiver to allow Iowa to receive the $29 million in federal funding and use it on the new state meal program.
A USDA spokesperson sent this response to Gray Media Iowa about the proposal:
“USDA’s Summer EBT program is designed to tackle one objective: feeding kids at a time when we know hunger goes up. It is backed by a decade of demonstration projects and rigorous evaluation showing that it works to reduce child hunger and support healthier diets. It also provides families with the freedom to make their own decisions on what food is best for their unique needs.
Through this waiver request, the governor is asserting that the State knows better than its own families do about what their needs are. The evidence-based Summer EBT program is successfully being run in more than three dozen states, territories, and tribes helping 21 million children across the U.S. USDA stands ready to support additional states, including Iowa, in offering Summer EBT to even more kids.”
Iowa Democratic legislators responded to the governor’s proposal.
State Representative Sami Scheetz of Cedar Rapids said:
“This summer, thousands of Iowa kids went without food assistance because Gov. Reynolds rejected federal funds and decided to play politics. It’s a tragic situation that cannot happen again.
My sincere thanks to the thousands of Iowans who contacted the Governor and forced her to the table to start a conversation about how we feed Iowa kids next summer.
While we strongly disagree with the Governor’s decision to yet again reject federal funding to feed 485,000 Iowa kids next summer, we will try to work with the Governor to make sure no kid goes hungry.
It’s not complicated: drop the politics and feed hungry kids.”
State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott of West Des Moines said:
“Rather than participate in the existing efficient program with proven effectiveness, the Governor has asked the Federal Government to instead fund an entirely new and untested proposal. The governor’s proposal raises more questions than it answers.”
About the author: Midwest native Dave Price is Gray Television’s Iowa Political Director for 10 stations that broadcast in the state and has been covering local, state and national politics from Iowa since 2001.
Dave produces and hosts “Inside Iowa Politics,” a weekly, in-depth show focused on interviews with top leaders on politics, issues, challenges and solutions that impact the state.
He has written two books about the Iowa Caucuses (“Caucus Chaos” and “Caucus Chaos Trump”). Email him at dave.price@gray.tv. Follow him on X (Twitter): @idaveprice Meta/Facebook: DavePriceNews Instagram: idaveprice and LinkedIn: Dave Price.
Dave welcomes your thoughts on what answers to seek from politicians and what issues challenge our communities.
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