Iowa food banks see spike in need since end of pandemic-era SNAP benefits [Video]

Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa food banks are calling for action for what they say is a crisis in food insecurity. The Food Bank of Iowa says it has been steadily breaking records of people in need for the past two years- ever since pandemic-era Emergency Allotments of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits, were stopped in April of 2022.

“Feed Iowa First” says nearly 376,000 people are struggling with hunger in Iowa, 122,000 of whom are children. That translates to about one in eight adults and one in six children not knowing where they’ll find their next meal.

CommUnity Crisis Services in Johnson County offers several food assistance programs, including its mobile food pantry. Finch VanDyk, Mobile Food Pantry Coordinator for CommUnity, says the use of their programs is up across the board.

“We’re up about 30% from 2021 and we’re up about, I think 15 to 20% from 2022,” says Vandyk. “We see more people taking more food. We …