South Iowa News

Union County saw a 6 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Union Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 1,460 recipients (756 households) in Union County participated in the Program compared to 1,554 recipients (791 households) in 2020.

Overall, $2,791,342 in food assistance payments were allocated to Union County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $2,017,221 was allocated for Union 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 Union County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	2,043
2013	1,997
2014	1,843
2015	1,838
2016	1,824
2017	1,855
2018	1,726
2019	1,554
2020	1,460
2021	1,397