Advocates seek to protect, strengthen SNAP while celebrating its 60th anniversary in Iowa

by Kyle Heim

As nonprofit organizations and governmental groups celebrate the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Food Stamp Act of 1964 this year, advocates continue to look for ways to protect and strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Iowa. 

While 266,000 Iowans, or 7.4% of the state’s population, are enrolled in SNAP, the average benefit is only $5.57 per person per day, a number Salaam Bhatti, SNAP director at the Food Research and Action Center, would like to see increase, along with improved access. 

“We’re calling on Congress to pass a farm bill that will increase the baseline SNAP benefits by going from the Thrifty Food Plan formula to the Low-Cost Food Plan formula, which would be an increase in benefits that would result in a strong investment in the economy as well,” Bhatti said. 

The Thrifty Food Plan is one of four food plans that the U.S. Department of Agriculture develops that estimates the cost of a healthy diet across various price points — the Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost and Liberal Food plans. 

The Thrifty Food Plan is the lowest cost of the four, representing “a nutritious, practical, cost-effective diet prepared at home for a ‘reference’ family, which is defined in law as an adult male and female, ages 20-50, and two children, ages 6-8 and 9-11,” according to the USDA. 

The USDA calculates the Thrifty Food Plan using a mathematical model, or equation, based on the cost of food, the nutrients in food, nutrition guidance and what Americans eat. 

“SNAP continues to be the best tool we have to address hunger and food insecurity in Iowa,” Luke Elzinga, board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition, said in a news release. “Supporting the nutrition of our neighbors through SNAP is not only critical to their health and well-being, it is an investment in the future of our state.” 

The average SNAP benefit for households in Iowa is $324 per month, allowing beneficiaries to purchase goods at grocery stores, supermarkets, farmers markets and other SNAP-authorized retailers selling food in their communities. 

“We are proud to celebrate 60 years of SNAP, which has helped countless Iowa families supplement their food budgets and work toward self-sufficiency over the years,” Kelly Garcia, director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, said in a news release. “Through the SNAP program, we have partnered closely with Iowa food retailers to ensure easy access to nutritious food. Iowa HHS is committed to the overall wellness and health of Iowa families and providing them with resources and support to thrive.” 

SNAP contributes about $68 million in total economic activity in Iowa every month, with every dollar generating between $1.50 and $1.80, according to USDA and Food Research and Action Center numbers. 

“What we see is that, one, it frees up spending for other necessities that SNAP participants have, because now they have allocated funds for putting food on the table,” Bhatti said. “We also see that it helps the retailers leave the lights on at their stores, how it keeps the workers employed, but it also helps to pay for the truck driver who’s transporting the produce to the grocery store. It helps pay the farmer to grow the food.”

With the help of SNAP, people are better positioned to pay their bills on time, including rent and mortgages, “keeping the economy running overall,” Bhatti said. 

This year, the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as D-SNAP, provided assistance to Iowans affected by major spring storms, including the Greenfield tornado, as well as areas that experienced severe flooding. 

Gov. Kim Reynolds encouraged victims to apply for the assistance.

“Please, just take advantage of these programs,” she said at a July 11 press conference. “You’re dealing with a lot. They’re there for a reason.”

Despite her support for D-SNAP, a year ago Reynolds signed into law Senate File 494, requiring Iowa families receiving SNAP funds to undergo a new asset test before they can obtain food assistance.

Supporters said the new system would save taxpayers money and ensure benefits are going to people who need them. 

The law prevents any Iowa households with liquid assets of more than $15,000 from receiving SNAP benefits. The limit, however, does not count the value of a home, the household’s first car and up to $10,000 of the value of a second household car.

Meanwhile, renewed efforts to strengthen SNAP include removing barriers to access for college students.

“Right now, college students must work 80 hours a month to be eligible for SNAP,” Bhatti said. “We say, ‘If you’re going to school to have a better future, you should be focused on your studies, rather than working a minimum-wage job and not being able to put everything into your studies.’ If you can focus better on your studies, you can have a better-paying job, you can pay more in taxes later and fund the great programs like SNAP.” 

Other efforts include ending the exclusion of hot prepared meals and repealing the lifetime federal ban on people with felony drug convictions.

“Right now, SNAP participants … can’t buy a hot rotisserie chicken,” Bhatti said. “And that is just mind-numbing, considering how much cheaper a rotisserie chicken is, how much more time-efficient a hot prepared meal is for households with low income. You’re thinking of a single-parent household who has multiple jobs and kids to feed, and there’s just not a lot of time to do all the things. Giving access to hot prepared foods would be great for them.” 

Iowans can apply for SNAP online, through a paper application, or over the phone by calling the Iowa SNAP Hotline at 855-944-3663. Calls are taken from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers SNAP-Education to Iowans who are eligible for the SNAP program. 

“SNAP-Ed helps people stretch their SNAP dollars,” Katie Sorrell, program manager for SNAP-Ed with ISU Extension and Outreach, said in a prepared statement. “In Iowa, SNAP-Ed helps to make the healthy choice the easiest choice through nutrition education classes and community efforts like donation gardens and food pantry support.”