Published May 23, 2025
Despite strong efforts by advocates, Iowa has chosen not to participate in the Summer EBT Program for the second year in a row at the expense of Iowan families. Last summer, Iowa left millions of dollars of federal funding on the table and instead invested $900,000 in state funding to expand the existing Summer Nutrition Programs. While any effort to combat summertime food insecurity should be applauded, this model fails to address many of the challenges and barriers that have historically prevented higher participation at summer meals sites, including transportation and accessibility.
On May 7, the state jointly announced a new pilot program called “Healthy Kids Iowa” in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This program will allow families to visit distribution sites and select $40 worth of “fresh and nutritious food” each month during the summer. This food will be purchased by food banks and sent to selected sites.
This new demonstration project will only reach a fraction of the children who need it as the state is on a budget of $9.1 million. The state estimates that up to 65,000 children will have access to this program meaning this program will only reach one-third of the children who would qualify to receive Summer EBT benefits.
Summer EBT Is Proven to Work
The launch of this program follows the rejection of a similar project in 2024, with officials stating that the proposal did not provide enough evidence that the new program would reach children in the way that Summer EBT has proven to through years of demonstration projects in other states.
If Iowa chose to participate in Summer EBT, 240,000 children would be eligible to participate in the program, bringing in over $28.8 million in benefits for hungry families with low incomes. Research shows that the Summer EBT Program decreases food insecurity and increases nutrition. Summer EBT ensures that families have the benefits they need to purchase food at the time and at the places that work for them.
We urge the state of Iowa to continue to commit to keeping children fed, which includes maximizing all available federal nutrition programs, including Summer EBT, that are proven to reduce food insecurity.
