Local Resources
Nutrition programs for low-income families in Iowa - Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and Family Nutrition Program
Food Assistance in Iowa
Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP) - In Iowa, you can call 1-877-937-3663 or visit their website.
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) - WIC provides you with health services. These services include nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, checks to buy nutritious foods, immunization screening and referrals, and health and social services referrals. Checks for food vary depending on age and include foods such as formula, juice, baby cereal, milk, cheese, juice, cereal, eggs, and peanut butter or dried beans, peas, or lentils.
Free or Reduced Meals - Children in households getting Food Assistance (formerly called Food Stamps) or FIP and most foster children are eligible for free meals regardless of income. If your family is eligible for food assistance, your children are automatically eligible for free school lunch. The Department of Education and DHS are working together to reduce duplicate applications. The DHS system provides a list of new food assistance households to school districts, however only on a monthly basis. Households will get started faster with lunches by reporting their food assistance number on a school meal eligibility application directly to the school district.
Your children may be eligible for free or reduced price meals if your household income is within the Federal Income Guidelines.
If you want to apply for free or reduced price meals in Iowa, the best thing to do is to contact your local district and ask for a school meal eligibility application. Either contact the school directly or look on the school web site for information. You may apply for free or reduced price lunches anytime during the year.
Dial 211 for help locating local Food Pantries.
SHARE Iowa offers packages at half the retail cost in exchange for 2 hours of volunteer service in your community. Choosing where you volunteer is up to you - any good deed qualifies.
Our Best Value Package (like the sample pictured) includes a 
wide assortment of frozen meats, fresh fruits and vegetables and convenience foods - just like you see in major grocery stores. Additional packages, including meat packages are also available. You can pay for your SHARE packages with cash or EBT/food stamps.
SHARE Iowa partners with places of worship, schools, and other organizations to create neighborhood "host sites" to make picking up your SHARE packages fun and convenient. For information on who to contact in your area, call SHARE Iowa at 1-800-344-1107 or www.shareiowa.com
Angel Ministries - 80 Iowa Locations - find a site in your area
Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month.
- There are no qualifications, minimums, income restrictions, or applications.
- Orders and distribution are handled by church host sites.
- Orders are collected by the host sites during the first part of each month.
- Everyone is encouraged to participate. Some churches even encourage participants to apply the money they saved to help someone else in need.
Call the new 24-hour hotline for answers to common questions, including menu information and host site, contact information 1-877-FOOD-MINISTRY (1-877-366-3646).
Miscellanous links