NW Iowa News

Lyon County saw a 3.4 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2019 to 2020, according to a Lyon Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2020, 449 recipients (198 households) in Lyon County participated in the Program compared to 465 recipients (201 households) in 2019.

Overall, $833,070 in food assistance payments were allocated to Lyon County recipients in 2020.

In 2019, $530,990 was allocated for Lyon 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 Lyon County 2011-2020

Year	Number of recipients
2011	670
2012	710
2013	752
2014	714
2015	630
2016	581
2017	583
2018	536
2019	465
2020	449