Cedar Rapids Today

Washington County saw a 1.2 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Washington Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 1,663 recipients (788 households) in Washington County participated in the Program compared to 1,683 recipients (770 households) in 2020.

Overall, $3,106,293 in food assistance payments were allocated to Washington County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $2,063,820 was allocated for Washington 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 Washington County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	2,510
2013	2,490
2014	2,294
2015	2,164
2016	2,012
2017	1,919
2018	1,789
2019	1,683
2020	1,663
2021	1,532