NW Iowa News

Dickinson County saw a 6.1 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Dickinson Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 996 recipients (541 households) in Dickinson County participated in the Program compared to 1,061 recipients (566 households) in 2020.

Overall, $1,898,321 in food assistance payments were allocated to Dickinson County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $1,282,488 was allocated for Dickinson 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 Dickinson County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	1,367
2013	1,450
2014	1,335
2015	1,227
2016	1,254
2017	1,212
2018	1,146
2019	1,061
2020	996
2021	892