Food assistance gets Iowans through tough times

As our state continues to rebound from the national recession, struggling Iowans are benefiting from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

SNAP, the former Food Stamp program, is one of the most successful ways to combat hunger and help low-income households purchase healthy food. Here in Iowa, the program provided assistance to 54,939 households and 67,235 individuals in February of 2011. That’s an 8 percent jump over the previous year.

The majority of SNAP funding goes to low-income working families in need, rather than those solely relying on welfare. In the face of the current recession, it’s a valuable and effective program that helps keep families out of poverty.

For more information, visit this website: www.fns.usda.gov/snap.