Food Bank of Iowa distributed over 2.1 million pounds of food to Iowans in need in last month

Food Bank of Iowa distributed more food in October than ever before in the organization’s nearly forty-year history. The need for food assistance has increased dramatically in response to the pandemic, with the Food Bank setting distribution records in April and again in June.  

Food insecurity—insufficient or unreliable access to enough nutritious food to live a healthy, active life—interrupts lives, livelihoods and learning. Today, Feeding America reports food insecurity is double compared to earlier this year and triple for households with children.

“I am grateful for supportive donors, volunteers, community partners and a passionate, committed team—it takes communities coming together to respond to need of this magnitude,” said Michelle Book, president and CEO at Food Bank of Iowa. “However, there is still work to be done. As folks continue to struggle to make ends meet, Food Bank of Iowa is committed to providing the nutrition their families need most.”

Food Bank of Iowa expects food insecurity numbers to continue to rise in the state due to the on-going battle with the virus itself and the economic effects of COVID-19. “With our study of previous recessions, we know food insecurity from this recession will not peak for several years and is unlikely to recede to pre-recession levels before 2027,” Book adds. “We have a long road ahead.” 

As the state’s largest food rescue and hunger-relief organization, Food Bank of Iowa has seen the need for food assistance increase considerably in 2020. In response, the organization has added many additional services, shifted their distribution model to include drive-through food distributions to reduce person-to-person contact and embraced a multitude of additional collaborative opportunities.

“We know the impact of COVID-19 will be felt for a long time.  We are grateful for your partnership and support today and tomorrow,” Book said.

Any person needing help or wanting to help can find more information at FoodBankIowa.org.

About Food Bank of Iowa

In the 2020 fiscal year alone, Food Bank of Iowa provided more than 19 million pounds of nutritious food to help your neighbors in need.

Leveraging bulk purchasing power, key retail food rescue relations and the Emergency Food Assistance Program from the USDA, Food Bank of Iowa sources free and reduced-cost food for Iowans in need. The food bank keeps the food safe and delivers it to 630 partners—including community, church and school pantries, backpack schools, senior meal sites, veteran homes, homeless shelters and rehab sites—who then distribute food to children, seniors, veterans and hard-working Iowans. Food Bank of Iowa serves 55 counties, covering big cities and small towns across 30,000 square miles.

To learn more, visit www.foodbankiowa.org or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/foodbankiowa.