North Iowa Reporter

Cerro Gordo County saw a 3.1 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Cerro Gordo Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 4,301 recipients (2,320 households) in Cerro Gordo County participated in the Program compared to 4,440 recipients (2,376 households) in 2020.

Overall, $8,234,468 in food assistance payments were allocated to Cerro Gordo County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $5,692,771 was allocated for Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	6,587
2013	6,418
2014	5,947
2015	5,618
2016	5,370
2017	5,154
2018	4,934
2019	4,440
2020	4,301
2021	4,156