NW Iowa News

O'Brien County saw an 8.6 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a O'Brien Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 847 recipients (424 households) in O'Brien County participated in the Program compared to 927 recipients (442 households) in 2020.

Overall, $1,612,569 in food assistance payments were allocated to O'Brien County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $1,133,371 was allocated for O'Brien 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 O'Brien County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	1,213
2013	1,244
2014	1,214
2015	1,205
2016	1,138
2017	1,134
2018	1,020
2019	927
2020	847
2021	781