South Iowa News

Monroe County saw a 3 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Monroe Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 716 recipients (348 households) in Monroe County participated in the Program compared to 738 recipients (348 households) in 2020.

Overall, $1,366,002 in food assistance payments were allocated to Monroe County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $913,164 was allocated for Monroe 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 Monroe County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	996
2013	958
2014	920
2015	900
2016	863
2017	847
2018	796
2019	738
2020	716
2021	650