Iowa (RI) — Food pantries around the state say there’s been a surge in demand as federal SNAP benefits are delayed. Craig Gordy is with the Oskaloosa Food Pantry, where they gave away almost five thousand pounds of food over a two-day period.
Gordy says his food pantry is limited on how much food they can purchase from the Food Bank of Iowa, and he appreciates the governor’s recent move to try to spur donations to the food bank.
Democrats in the Iowa legislature say the State of Iowa should take immediate action to assist the nearly 270-thousand Iowans who did not receive monthly SNAP benefits on Saturday. Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner of Iowa City says she’s glad Governor Reynolds committed a million dollars in state funds to match donations to Iowa’s six food banks — but that’s not enough to replace the 42 MILLION dollars in federal funds tied up due to the government shutdown.
Weiner says Governor Reynolds has the authority to access 107 MILLION dollars in interest earned from investing federal pandemic relief payments to the state.
Two federal judges have ordered the Trump Administration to dip into contingency funds to make this month’s SNAP payments. The US Treasury Secretary said this weekend that payments might be made on Wednesday, but officials have to figure out the process. Weiner says the once-a-month payments are critical.
Nearly a third of SNAP households in Iowa are headed by a person over the age of 65.
KIWA Staff Photo
