SE Iowa News

Jefferson County saw a 1 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Jefferson Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 1,834 recipients (1,012 households) in Jefferson County participated in the Program compared to 1,853 recipients (1,016 households) in 2020.

Overall, $3,558,710 in food assistance payments were allocated to Jefferson County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $2,429,497 was allocated for Jefferson 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 Jefferson County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	2,638
2013	2,598
2014	2,336
2015	2,204
2016	2,141
2017	2,079
2018	1,990
2019	1,853
2020	1,834
2021	1,726