Iowa Dept. of Education received $900K in grants to expand summer food service programs

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Department of Education is receiving $900,000 in grants to expand the Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option.

These programs provide meals and snacks to those 18 years of age and under while they’re out of school over the summer.

In a press release, Governor Kim Reynolds says the new state-directed Summer Meal Program Expansion Grant will launch more summer meal sites to serve more children in currently underserved areas across the state.

The meals can be served at various sites like schools, churches, community centers, parks, libraries and camps. The expansion will allow additional local sponsors and partners to apply to participate in the programs.

“Many children rely heavily on these meals during the school year to provide them with the fuel and nutrition to grow healthy and become successful–the summertime is no different,” said Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia. “Together, we are leveraging public-private partnerships to care for our children most in need.”

The new funding comes after Iowa rejected $20 million in federal funding for the summertime EBT program last year.

Iowa state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott released the following statement in response to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ announcement:

“While I appreciate the governor finally doing something for hungry children in our state, the competitive grant program announced today amounts to crumbs for Iowa kids. Gov. Reynolds could have accepted $29 million in federal food assistance that would’ve reached 240,000 children in every corner of the state. The $900,000 state program she announced today is tiny by comparison  – and forces Iowa communities to compete for a sliver of that much-smaller pie. It’s not enough to meet the real needs facing our state. And it doesn’t make up for her decision to let Iowa kids go hungry.”

“While summer feeding programs have their place, they are not accessible to all Iowa families. Families must bring their children to and from the site every day, which is impossible for most working families. There are many Iowa school districts and entire counties that don’t even have a feeding site. As a result, these programs assisted less than 20,000 children last year. The governor could have expanded these programs AND participated in the Summer EBT program. But instead, she put politics before the health and wellbeing of our kids.”

Senate Democrats’ efforts ensured that Iowa kids were eligible for the Summer EBT program in 2023, and the caucus united behind legislation to require the state to adopt the program again in 2024. However, Republican politicians led by Gov. Reynolds, killed the legislation, and refused to participate in Summer EBT, taking $29 million in food aid away from children and families in need.

For more information on the new grant, click here.

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