North Iowa Reporter

Mitchell County saw a 0.5 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Mitchell Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 582 recipients (275 households) in Mitchell County participated in the Program compared to 585 recipients (276 households) in 2020.

Overall, $1,081,615 in food assistance payments were allocated to Mitchell County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $696,424 was allocated for Mitchell 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 Mitchell County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	765
2013	782
2014	710
2015	651
2016	608
2017	633
2018	632
2019	585
2020	582
2021	543