South Iowa News

Wayne County saw a 9.4 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2019 to 2020, according to a Wayne Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2020, 557 recipients (273 households) in Wayne County participated in the Program compared to 615 recipients (295 households) in 2019.

Overall, $1,043,104 in food assistance payments were allocated to Wayne County recipients in 2020.

In 2019, $761,726 was allocated for Wayne 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 Wayne County 2011-2020

Year	Number of recipients
2011	898
2012	900
2013	904
2014	858
2015	829
2016	821
2017	786
2018	666
2019	615
2020	557