South Iowa News

Ringgold County saw a 7.1 percent increase in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Ringgold Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 452 recipients (226 households) in Ringgold County participated in the Program compared to 422 recipients (209 households) in 2020.

Overall, $866,129 in food assistance payments were allocated to Ringgold County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $517,777 was allocated for Ringgold 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 Ringgold County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	646
2013	612
2014	611
2015	605
2016	578
2017	510
2018	433
2019	422
2020	452
2021	405