East Central Iowa News

Mahaska County received $4,284,960 in Food Assistance Program funding in 2021 for 2,227 program recipients, according to a Nodaway Valley Today analysis of data from Iowa's Department of Human Services.

This is a 39.1 percent increase from 2020, when 2,326 recipients received $3,080,456.

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.

Amount of Money Allocated for Mahaska County Food Assistance Program Participants 2012-2021

Year	Amount Allocated
2012	$5,647,826
2013	$5,226,135
2014	$4,305,586
2015	$4,163,825
2016	$4,042,997
2017	$3,392,616
2018	$3,302,890
2019	$3,080,456
2020	$4,284,960
2021	$5,762,192