East Central Iowa News

Hardin County saw a 1.3 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Hardin Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 1,522 recipients (710 households) in Hardin County participated in the Program compared to 1,542 recipients (682 households) in 2020.

Overall, $2,859,196 in food assistance payments were allocated to Hardin County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $1,807,272 was allocated for Hardin 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 Hardin County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	2,312
2013	2,364
2014	2,181
2015	2,034
2016	2,024
2017	1,842
2018	1,720
2019	1,542
2020	1,522
2021	1,532