Gov. Kim Reynolds’ summer food program for children that is meant to replace Summer EBT got off to a rocky start this month, according to food bank and pantry officials tasked with distributing food for Healthy Kids Iowa.
Officials described delays and logistical challenges with obtaining and storing food, at least partly due to the short timeline for getting the program up and running after the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved it in early May. They are hopeful the program will improve through the summer as food banks and pantries work through various issues.
“I think that it didn’t matter whether you were running a very small pantry in rural Iowa or a large pantry here in the [Des Moines] metro area,” said Andrea Cook, executive director of Johnston Partnership, which runs a food pantry. “We’re all struggling with figuring out how to make this work and make sense.”
Reynolds proposed Healthy Kids Iowa as an alternative to Summer EBT, which provides low-income families with $40 per child each month in the summer on a prepaid debit card. She has said giving out money for food does nothing to ensure that kids are getting healthy meals, so instead proposed distributing $40 worth of “healthy” foods per child each month.
Alex Murphy, communications director for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, said HHS is consistently in touch with food banks to address gaps and ensure families are properly served.
"Each piece of feedback that we receive is not only welcome but helps ensure eligible families receive their portion each month," he said. "We are thrilled to hear that so many Iowans are getting access to fresh, healthy foods in the first two weeks of our Health Kids Iowa pilot program."
HHS initially said it would release the list of places where families can pick up the food by June 1, but the list of 254 sites ultimately released June 4.
A food pantry in Buchanan County was listed as starting distribution Monday, June 9. But when IPR reached out Monday to ask how the program was going, the pantry’s director said it had not yet received the food.
The six food banks operating in Iowa are responsible for choosing food for the program and delivering it to food pantries.
Kim Guardado, food reservoir director for Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP), said her food bank started distributing food in eastern Iowa this week, and it should be available to families by the end of the week. She said it’s always difficult to start a new program, especially a large one like this, and that it took a long time for the USDA to approve the program.
“More time to prepare all of this would be super useful to be able to have a smooth transition into the program,” she said. “So certainly we’re already learning things that we would do different if we were to do it again.”
Guardado said food banks and pantries have worked really hard to start the program, and she is asking the public to be patient with volunteers who are working to feed families.
“More time to prepare all of this would be super useful to be able to have a smooth transition into the program."Kim Guardado with the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program
Food pantries were able to decide if they want to participate and when they will distribute Healthy Kids Iowa food. Some are operating the new program during their regular hours, while others have established a weekly or monthly pickup time.
Johnston Partnership started giving Healthy Kids Iowa food to families last Thursday. Cook said the pantry distributed food all day Thursday, but ran out one hour after opening on Saturday.
“So, despite all the best efforts of trying to plan, we didn’t have enough on hand to be able to do the first week,” she said. “I don’t know how we would have changed it, since we were jamming things into every available space that we had.”
Cook said she is not sure if she should invest in more food storage infrastructure for a program that only lasts three months and may not happen again.
“I have a feeling, by the end, we’re going to have a pretty good idea of how to run this, and by then it’ll be over,” Cook said. “And will it come back next year? I don’t know. But we’re taking lots of notes to see if we can figure out how to make it better.”
IMPACT Community Action Partnership runs a food pantry in Boone that is participating in Healthy Kids Iowa. Anne Bacon, executive director of IMPACT, said she joined the new summer food program because food is an essential need.
"However, the administrative burden, including staff time, would be much better spent on direct SNAP assistance," Bacon said. "Also, the extra work it adds to parents already overwhelmed shouldn't be underestimated. We will do our best to help the program be successful, but we stand by our belief that Summer [EBT] is a much better option."
What foods are families getting through the program?
The foods that families receive differ among the six food banks and may be different each week or month.
At the Johnston Partnership, which gets food from the Food Bank of Iowa, Cook said the first distribution included ground beef, eggs, avocados, pears, milk, fruit and veggie cups, grapes, pancake mix, an instant macaroni and cheese cup, chickpea spread, tortillas, pasta sauce and spaghetti.
The HACAP food reservoir, according to Guardado, is providing some canned items, like tuna and vegetables, as well as frozen items, including chicken nuggets, cheese sticks, milk and eggs. She said HACAP is focusing on foods that kids will want to eat and can prepare themselves.
The news release from Reynolds’ office announcing the program in May said families would “be able to choose their monthly items, respecting their preferences and cultural and dietary needs.”
Guardado and Cook said there aren’t many choices available, but they hope to provide more options later this summer as the program ramps up. Guardado said the choice families can make this month at HACAP-affiliated pantries is between ground beef, pork and turkey.
“I think the part that is just the downside is there just isn’t going to be as much choice available as if, you know, a family was able to use the grocery store,” she said. “But I do think that there will be more food. The $40 that we can spend is going to go a lot further than what somebody can buy in the grocery store.”
Cook said some families declined to take foods that they do not eat, and there wasn’t necessarily replacement food available. She said Summer EBT would be a much better choice.
“I trust the families that we serve with $40 and spending it correctly on what they need, and then some,” Cook said.
Murphy said hearing feedback from families who want more or different choices is helpful for evaluation and planning.
He said Iowa HHS will ask families to participate in an optional survey in July "to determine whether they found the program helpful in meeting their family's food and nutrition needs and whether there was any change in food selection or consumption habits, including questions about how often children are eating healthy vs. unhealthy foods."
He also said HHS is prepared to move Healthy Kids Iowa sites if families aren't visiting the current locations.
Food insecurity is still on the rise
Healthy Kids Iowa is expected to serve up to 65,000 kids this summer, with the USDA providing $9.1 million to fully fund it, according to Iowa HHS. Summer EBT would reach an estimated 240,000 kids with nearly $30 million in federally funded food assistance, and the state would have to pay additional administrative costs.
Guardado said food insecurity is on the rise and families continue to struggle to pay for food.
“We want … families to have more options of where they can get food and how much food they have access to,” she said. “And make sure, overall, that kids continue to get fed so that they can be ready to learn when school starts in the fall.”
Cook said the Healthy Kids Iowa program is difficult to manage when food banks and pantries are struggling to respond to increased need.
“Our space is being taxed. Our vehicles are being taxed,” she said. “It’s just a lot to put on a network that’s already trying to do it.”
Cook said food pantries are not being provided with state or federal funds to offset the cost of administering the new program.
Iowans who are interested in getting food through Healthy Kids Iowa can find information about eligibility here and an interactive map of food pick-up sites here.
