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(Des Moines, IA) -- The Food Bank of Iowa is seeing record-high demand heading into November.
“We have been working to meet record need for three and a half years. We are heading into our busiest season, and now SNAP benefits have been suspended for the month of November. The numbers will only continue to rise. When people can't use their EBT cards at the grocery store, it will drive more Iowans to seek food assistance through Food Bank of Iowa partners and programs,” said Annette Hacker with the Food Bank of Iowa.
Thousands of Iowa families will have their SNAP benefits suspended on November 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown.
“We are all concerned about the influx that is about to happen, or is already happening. With no SNAP benefits issued for November, that’s 267,000 Iowans who don’t know how they’re going to put food on the table in the next month,” Hacker said.
Hacker says the Food Bank of Iowa has been seeing record and rising need for food assistance over the past three and a half years.
Food Bank of Iowa serves 700 pantries across the state, 200 of which are in the Des Moines metro.
“Even though we have a tremendous emphasis on donated and rescued food, we are buying 57 percent of our inventory. That is not sustainable long-term,” said Hacker.