East Central Iowa News

Mahaska County saw a 4.3 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Mahaska Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 2,227 recipients (1,158 households) in Mahaska County participated in the Program compared to 2,326 recipients (1,188 households) in 2020.

Overall, $4,284,960 in food assistance payments were allocated to Mahaska County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $3,080,456 was allocated for Mahaska 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 Mahaska County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	3,941
2013	3,863
2014	3,414
2015	3,165
2016	3,012
2017	2,841
2018	2,577
2019	2,326
2020	2,227
2021	2,126