(Radio Iowa) – A new survey done for the Iowa Food Bank Association finds one in eight Iowans is food insecure, as is one in six Iowa children, and there’s strong support for finding more ways to help. Katie Sorrell, the association’s executive director, says 71-percent of respondents said food insecurity is a problem in Iowa, and half said the state isn’t doing enough to support people facing hunger.  “Choose Iowa is a program where food banks can buy directly from local farmers, and 80% of Iowans think there should be increased state support for that program,” Sorrell says. “So through Choose Iowa, when Iowans go to food pantries, they will have access to fruits and vegetables produced by local farmers.”

The survey, done by the research firm Murmuration, found 77-percent of those questioned say they support universal school food programs that fund free breakfast and lunch for all students, not just those from lower incomes. She says all Iowans are being impacted by rising food costs, some more than others. “Seventy-seven percent of Iowans have had to change the amounts or types of food that they purchase just because food is more expensive. So we’re all feeling the pressure of increased food costs,” Sorrell says, “and I think Iowans want to help each other out, and they see that for their neighbors that are struggling, food insecurity is an issue.” The survey found 71-percent of respondents agree the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program helps those experiencing food insecurity, while 64-percent say SNAP helps the Iowa economy.

“Double Up Food Bucks is a program where when people use their SNAP card to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, the amount is doubled. So if you buy $15 in fruits and vegetables, you get $15 back on your SNAP card to buy additional fruits and vegetables,” she says, “and the support for that program is huge in Iowa.” The Iowa Food Bank Association is comprised of Iowa’s six Feeding America food banks: Food Bank of Iowa, Food Bank for the Heartland, Food Bank of Siouxland, HACAP, Northeast Iowa Food Bank, and River Bend Food Bank. They collectively distributed more than 54-million meals through 15-hundred partner agencies in all 99 Iowa counties last year.

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