NW Iowa News

Emmet County saw a 7.3 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Emmet Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 857 recipients (401 households) in Emmet County participated in the Program compared to 924 recipients (425 households) in 2020.

Overall, $1,603,025 in food assistance payments were allocated to Emmet County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $1,145,939 was allocated for Emmet 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 Emmet County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	1,216
2013	1,222
2014	1,202
2015	1,141
2016	1,103
2017	1,091
2018	974
2019	924
2020	857
2021	735