West DSM News

Dallas County saw a 7.7 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Dallas Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 2,982 recipients (1,365 households) in Dallas County participated in the Program compared to 3,232 recipients (1,432 households) in 2020.

Overall, $5,628,364 in food assistance payments were allocated to Dallas County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $4,158,736 was allocated for Dallas 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 Dallas County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	4,450
2013	4,414
2014	4,188
2015	3,997
2016	3,817
2017	3,600
2018	3,597
2019	3,232
2020	2,982
2021	2,901