North Iowa Reporter

Worth County saw a 2.8 percent increase in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Worth Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 522 recipients (242 households) in Worth County participated in the Program compared to 508 recipients (216 households) in 2020.

Overall, $987,509 in food assistance payments were allocated to Worth County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $612,168 was allocated for Worth 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 Worth County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	756
2013	774
2014	726
2015	605
2016	601
2017	588
2018	553
2019	508
2020	522
2021	506