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USDA approves Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposed summer food program
‘Healthy Kids Iowa’ will provide qualifying families with $40 worth of food per child per month in June, July and August
Maya Marchel Hoff, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau
May. 7, 2025 6:24 pm
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
DES MOINES — The U.S. Department of Agriculture greenlit Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposed summer meal plan for Iowa kids who receive free or reduced breakfast and lunch, allowing the state to opt out of a federal summer food program and use the funding to establish its own.
Named “Healthy Kids Iowa,” the pilot program will provide low-income families across the state with $40 worth of “fresh and nutritious food” per child per month in June, July and August. The program is an alternative to the federal Summer Electronic Benefit Program, now known as SUN Bucks, which gives households pre-loaded cards with $120 per child to spend on SNAP-eligible food to substitute for school meals during the summer months.
The program will use federal funding to expand the summer meal sites program that the state ran last year, where qualifying families were provided three monthly food boxes.
“Our goal has always been to ensure all Iowa children have access to nutritious, balanced and wholesome food, while promoting healthy eating habits,” Reynolds said in a statement Wednesday. “I’m grateful to the USDA and Secretary Rollins for partnering with the State of Iowa and placing their trust in our statewide network of meal providers. Together we’re building on the strong foundation already in place to better meet the unique needs of Iowa’s children and families.”
I am thrilled to announce with @SecRollins Iowa’s new summer food program, Healthy Kids Iowa! pic.twitter.com/1dxOmnW1FR
— Gov. Kim Reynolds (@IAGovernor) May 7, 2025
A similar proposal submitted to the USDA by the state in 2023 and the plan for this summer, initially submitted in November, were both rejected under the Biden administration.
Reynolds resubmitted the proposal earlier this year when President Donald Trump assumed office.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins commended Reynolds’ proposal, adding that Iowa’s program will provide “healthy foods to low-income, school-aged children during summer break.”
“State-led innovation across all of USDA's nutrition programs is simply the right thing to do and we are encouraging governors across the entire country to explore creative ways to provide food for those in need while also doing right by the American taxpayer,” Rollins said in a statement.
In 2023-2024, Iowa received more than $12 million in federal funding for summer nutrition programs administered by the state Department of Education, according to Reynolds. Last summer, the state used $900,000 in federal pandemic relief funding to start a new state grant program that supported 61 new free summer meal sites for Iowa children in low-income families.
Iowa was one of 13 states that opted out of federal Summer EBT funding in 2024, rejecting $29 million in federal food assistance funding for an estimated 240,000 children in the state. The state would have had to pay roughly $2.2 million to administer the program.
‘We are concerned about the barriers families face’ in new program
Reynolds cited the state’s childhood obesity rates as her reasoning behind rejecting the federal funds, arguing that the food boxes are a healthier alternative to EBT cards.
But this move was criticized by anti-hunger advocates who say the proposed program reached significantly fewer kids than Summer EBT would have.
The Iowa Hunger Coalition said Summer EBT is more accessible for families, especially those in rural areas of the state, who struggle to reach summer food distribution sites and food programs due to geography or work schedules.
“We appreciate additional resources being directed to help address food insecurity for children over the summer in Iowa,” the Iowa Hunger Coalition said in a statement. “However, many questions remain as to the details of how the pilot program will function. We are concerned about the barriers families may face in accessing this new program and the additional strain it could place on feeding organizations who are already experiencing record-breaking levels of need.”
How will the new summer food program work?
Under the new program, households will choose from a selection of food each month that aligns with cultural and dietary needs at distribution sites set up in partnership with Feeding America food banks across the state. Sites will offer a selection of “healthy and kid-friendly” foods, including fruits, vegetables, dairy items, whole grains and proteins
To qualify for the program, households must be at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty line and have children between the ages of 4 and 18. The application for the Emergency Food Assistance Program will be used to determine eligibility.
While the new program’s costs are unclear, a version of Reynolds’ proposal submitted in 2024 would cost $3.86 million to administer in the first year, according to documents submitted by the state to USDA, provided by the Governor’s Office following a records request by The Gazette. Half of that, $1.93 million, would be paid by the state.
Tom Barton and Erin Murphy, of The Gazette Des Moines Bureau, contributed to this report.