Sioux City Times

Buena Vista County saw a 9.6 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Buena Vista Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 1,670 recipients (704 households) in Buena Vista County participated in the Program compared to 1,847 recipients (759 households) in 2020.

Overall, $3,065,609 in food assistance payments were allocated to Buena Vista County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $2,121,088 was allocated for Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	2,651
2013	2,898
2014	2,973
2015	2,785
2016	2,666
2017	2,438
2018	2,208
2019	1,847
2020	1,670
2021	1,621