OVERVIEW
For families to thrive in our community, everyone needs access to affordable and nutritious food. The Food Insecurity work group’s focus is to increase awareness of and access to resources and programs that address food insecurity in central Iowa. Success in reducing and, ultimately, eliminating food insecurity in our community depends on decreasing poverty and the many barriers to self-sufficiency that exist for a large percentage of our population.
KEY PROGRAMS:
To address food insecurity, we must understand the definitions:
- SNAP — The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps) offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities.
- WIC — Women, Infants, & Children (WIC) is a supplemental nutrition program for babies, children under the age of 5, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and women who have had a baby in the past 6 months.
- Double Up Food Bucks — The program matches the value of SNAP purchases made at participating farmers markets to spend on fresh, locally grown produce.
OBJECTIVES
Whether Iowa is their community of initial resettlement or they came to Iowa as secondary migrants from other states, New Iowans today face greater challenges than ever before.
Refugees and immigrants, including those for whom status is not clear, face challenges that prevent them from moving out of poverty. Many of these challenges are being addressed by other OpportUNITY work groups—housing, food insecurity, transportation, lack of education, and job training. In addition, many New Iowans face prejudice, racism, limited support upon arrival, and difficulty finding employment because they lack education or struggle with English-language skills.
FIRST-PHASE GOALS |
RESULTS |
1. Collect and disseminate accurate data about food insecurity and hunger in Polk, Dallas, and Warren Counties. |
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2. Increase the number of people who visit pantries, community meal sites, and summer meal sites. |
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3. Raise awareness about food issues in our community by convening individuals and organizations. |
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4. Build partnerships in the three-county area to address food insecurity. |
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SECOND-PHASE GOALS |
RESULTS |
1. Eliminate hunger in Polk, Dallas, and Warren Counties. 1a. Increase the number of people who visit pantries, community meal sites, and summer meal sites. |
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2. Increase the number of eligible central Iowans accessing food assistance programs. |
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3.Increase the number of organizations participating in a food-rescue initiative where donated food from restaurants, caterers, and other food-service providers is distributed to people in need through local social-service organizations. |
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4. Collect and disseminate accurate data about food insecurity and hunger in Polk, Dallas, and Warren Counties. 4a. Increase the effectiveness and accuracy of county-wide pantry data. |
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5. Collect and disseminate second annual survey of hunger and food insecurity in central Iowa. |
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6. Increase awareness of the importance of the food safety net for central Iowans. Compile messaging, stories, and data to use in communications with decision makers. |
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