South Iowa News

Appanoose County saw a 3.2 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2019 to 2020, according to a Appanoose Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2020, 1,680 recipients (888 households) in Appanoose County participated in the Program compared to 1,735 recipients (908 households) in 2019.

Overall, $3,224,339 in food assistance payments were allocated to Appanoose County recipients in 2020.

In 2019, $2,258,943 was allocated for Appanoose 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 Appanoose County 2011-2020

Year	Number of recipients
2011	2,297
2012	2,337
2013	2,368
2014	2,181
2015	2,110
2016	2,075
2017	1,940
2018	1,827
2019	1,735
2020	1,680