(KIWA Staff Photo)
Statewide Iowa (RI) — Feeding America — a nonprofit network of more than 200 U.S. food banks — has reviewed the latest federal data and found at least 400,000 Iowans didn’t have enough food to eat in 2024.
Tami Nielsen — president and CEO of the Food Bank of Iowa — says pantry traffic shows the number is far higher today.
Neilsen says hunger is a pervasive, chronic issue in Iowa.
Feeding America’s “Map the Meal Gap” report found nearly one in eight Iowans faced food insecurity two years ago, and nearly 18 percent of them were children. The Food of Bank of Iowa distributes food across 55 counties and operates 190 school-based food pantries.
Nielsen says rising food prices and rising need have dramatically increased costs. The Food Bank of Iowa now spends more money each month buying food than it spent in all of 2019.
The report shows one in four children in Appanoose, Crawford, Montgomery, and Wapello Counties faced hunger in 2024. In 14 other counties, more than 20% of children were food insecure. It also found 30% of Black Iowans and 24% of Hispanic Iowans experienced hunger during 2024.
Visit Feeding America for a full view at the “Map the Meal Gap” report.
