The pandemic has put extreme pressure on Iowa’s food pantries and soup kitchens and there’s no sign of it letting up as families continue to struggle. The Food Bank of Iowa rescues safe, edible food which would otherwise clog landfills and gets it quickly to food insecure Iowans through an established network of 650 smaller frontline, hands-on partners. Still, Michelle Book, president and C-E-O for the Food Bank of Iowa, the need is persistent, especially with the pandemic continuing to loom.

Across Iowa’s 99 counties, 324 grants totaling more than three-point-four million dollars were awarded to Feeding America partner pantries and feeding sites. The money is being used to mitigate additional costs to front-line food assistance providers who stepped up to respond to the unusually high demand during COVID.