More than 130,000 low-income Iowa households may soon lose food assistance due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Food banks are bracing for higher demand as families prepare for potential loss of SNAP benefits. Kathy Underhill discusses about how food pantries are preparing for shortages and what the shutdown means for hunger relief efforts statewide.
Later, how immigration is reshaping Iowa’s demographic landscape and what changing birth rates mean for rural communities and who is detasseling corn in Iowa today and how agricultural labor is shifting.
Plus, IPR’s Josie Fischels on the end of Beggars Night in Des Moines and the tradition’s origins, and a musical send-off into the weekend from Studio One host Mark Simmet.
Guests:
- Kathy Underhill, CEO, DMARC
- Natalie Krebs, healthcare reporter, IPR News
- Nick Loomis, investigative reporter, Midwest Newsroom
- Molly Ashford, reporter, Harvest Public Media
- Josie Fischels, arts and culture reporter, IPR News
- Mark Simmet, host, IPR Studio One
