Des Moines Sun

Polk County saw a 1.9 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Polk Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 60,084 recipients (29,467 households) in Polk County participated in the Program compared to 61,234 recipients (29,247 households) in 2020.

Overall, $116,062,837 in food assistance payments were allocated to Polk County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $83,597,233 was allocated for Polk County program participants.

Qualified recipients in the Program are eligible to receive financial assistance in the form of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, which then can be used to buy groceries. The Program is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's larger Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Number of Food Assistance Program Participants in Polk County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	69,026
2013	72,074
2014	70,982
2015	69,782
2016	69,733
2017	68,216
2018	64,717
2019	61,234
2020	60,084
2021	55,142