NE Iowa News

Fayette County saw a 0.3 percent increase in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Fayette Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 2,313 recipients (1,124 households) in Fayette County participated in the Program compared to 2,305 recipients (1,113 households) in 2020.

Overall, $4,346,877 in food assistance payments were allocated to Fayette County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $2,833,647 was allocated for Fayette 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 Fayette County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	2,902
2013	2,814
2014	2,704
2015	2,646
2016	2,660
2017	2,572
2018	2,411
2019	2,305
2020	2,313
2021	2,171