East Central Iowa News

Marshall County saw a 5.6 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Marshall Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 4,368 recipients (2,019 households) in Marshall County participated in the Program compared to 4,625 recipients (2,063 households) in 2020.

Overall, $8,311,018 in food assistance payments were allocated to Marshall County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $5,812,353 was allocated for Marshall 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 Marshall County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	7,156
2013	7,091
2014	6,794
2015	6,319
2016	5,890
2017	5,597
2018	5,291
2019	4,625
2020	4,368
2021	4,034