SW Iowa Times

Pottawattamie County saw a 3.9 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2019 to 2020, according to a Pottawattamie Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2020, 12,835 recipients (6,697 households) in Pottawattamie County participated in the Program compared to 13,350 recipients (6,818 households) in 2019.

Overall, $24,730,344 in food assistance payments were allocated to Pottawattamie County recipients in 2020.

In 2019, $17,864,920 was allocated for Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County 2011-2020

Year	Number of recipients
2011	16,241
2012	17,537
2013	17,571
2014	16,882
2015	16,332
2016	16,020
2017	15,338
2018	14,624
2019	13,350
2020	12,835