SW Iowa Times

Mills County saw a 12.7 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Mills Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 1,089 recipients (507 households) in Mills County participated in the Program compared to 1,247 recipients (569 households) in 2020.

Overall, $2,051,322 in food assistance payments were allocated to Mills County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $1,584,271 was allocated for Mills 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 Mills County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	1,642
2013	1,660
2014	1,560
2015	1,467
2016	1,495
2017	1,448
2018	1,336
2019	1,247
2020	1,089
2021	1,023