| As Iowans deal with disruptions to their families and communities, these resources provide information to help you cope with concerns about healthy eating, relationships, mental health and wellbeing, personal finance, food safety, and nutrition and wellness. |
Hotlines
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Iowa Concern - 1-800-447-1985
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AnswerLine Toll-free Monday through Friday, 9 am - noon and 1 - 4 pm.
Email an Expert - Send your questions to our trained staff. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) |
Online Events - Information - Resources
- Caregiving and Relationships
- New Releases
- Lay the Foundation: Helping Couples Prioritize Their Relationship during COVID-19
- Empower: Helping Couples Take Care of Themselves during COVID-19
- Try to Balance Workplace and Home When Workplace and Home Are the Same | Audio PSA
Resources
- Child Care
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New Releases
Resources
- Child Care Guidance
- Early Childhood Resources
- Child Nutrition Program Meal Service during COVID-19: Best Practices for Parent Pick Up
- Feeding Kids When Schools Are Closed Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Talking With Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
- Helping Children Manage Stress
- COVID-19 Child Care Considerations
- Exploring Child Care Options in a Pandemic
- Child Care in Your Home
- The Transportation Scramble
- Food Access
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Connect with your local food bank
- Food Bank of Siouxland Inc. - serving Lyon, Sioux, Plymouth, Cherokee, Woodbury, Ida, Monona, and Crawford counties
- Food Bank for the Heartland - serving Harrison, Shelby, Pottawattamie, Cass, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont, and Page counties
- River Bend Food Bank - serving Muscatine, Scott, Clinton, Jackson, and Dubuque counties
- HACAP - serving Jones, Cedar, Johnson, Linn, Washington, Benton, and Iowa counties
- Northeast Iowa Food Bank - serving Mitchell, Howard, Winneshiek, Allamakee, Floyd, Butler, Bremer, Chickasaw, Fayette, Clayton, Grundy, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Delaware, Tama, and Poweshiek counties
- Food Bank of Iowa - all counties not listed above
Access meals for children
- Check the interactive map with information about meals for children in your community
- Text ‘FOOD’ to 877-877 or 'COMIDA' to 877-877 for Spanish language information
New Releases
- Healthy Eating on a Budget
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News Releases
- Cook Now, Enjoy Later
- Can’t Get to the Store? Try Emergency Food Substitutions
- Don’t Waste Food: Understand Food Package Dates
- Prepare Your Pantry, but Don't Panic
- Iowans Can 'Spend Smart. Eat Smart.' in Challenging Times
Resources
- Learn if you are eligible for Iowa Food Assistance or the Iowa WIC Program. Both programs provide food benefits to eligible families.
- Find a food pantry site near you by entering your zip code on the Food Bank of Iowa page.
- Spend Smart. Eat Smart. - recipes and ideas to help you eat healthy, and save money in each aisle of the grocery store - Dairy | Fruits | Grains | Protein | Vegetables
- Strategies You Can Use | Estrategias que puede utilizar + Audio - English | Spanish
- Stretching Your Food Dollar | Cómo hacer rendir el dinero para alimentos + Audio - English | Spanish
- Eatright.org
- Healthy Eating on a Budget, Choose MyPlate
- Finance
- Online
News Release
Resources
- Coping with Unemployment | Cómo LIDIAR con el desempleo
- Using What You Have to Get What You Want | Usa lo que tienes para alcanzar lo que quieres
- Planning to $tay Ahead | Planear para $alir Adelante + Audio - English | Spanish
- Financial Resources to Help Get Through COVID-19
- Adjusting to Income Loss
- Strategies for Spending Less
- Making the Most of What You Have
- Tracking Your Spending | Como Seguir La Pista de Sus
- Setting Your Spending Priorities | ¿Cómo establecer las prioridades de gastos? + Audio - English | Spanish
- Managing Income and Expenses, Divorce Matters
- Financial Recovery After Disaster - Video Series
- Disaster Recovery Toolkit
- Food Safety
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Online
New Release
- Follow Grocery Shopping Best Practices during COVID-19
- Free Food Safety and COVID-19 Training Opportunities for Food Handlers throughout April
- Meat Is Safe, but Processors, Consumers Should Continue to Follow Food Safety Guidelines
- No Evidence COVID-19 Is Transmitted through Food and Food Packaging
- Handwashing Is One Way to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus / Lavarse las manos es una manera para prevenir la propagación del coronavirus | Audio PSA
Resources
- Wash Your Hands - 6 Steps to Handwashing
- 5 Myths of Handwashing
- COVID-19 Information for Restaurants/Food Services
- Keeping Workplaces, Homes, Schools or Commercial Establishments Safe
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Information
- ServSafe Tips for Restaurants
- How to Store Food for Emergencies
- Mental Health and Wellbeing
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Programs
- Mental Health First Aid
- Question.Persuade.Refer (QPR)
- Resources for Life in a Pandemic - Check the Events Calendar for upcoming sessions
- I Worry All the Time (signs of worry and anxiety; techniques to cope)
- I Feel 'Blue' (signs of sadness and depression; techniques to cope)
News Releases
- Call Iowa Concern for Help Coping with the Stress of COVID-19 | Audio PSA
- Suicide Prevention Program Available Virtually to Agribusiness Community
- Handwashing Is One Way to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus | Audio PSA
- Try to Balance Workplace and Home When Workplace and Home Are the Same | Audio PSA
- Coping with the Stress of COVID-19 / Lidiando con el Estrés de COVID-19
Resources
- 6 Steps to Handwashing
- Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health: Tips For Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation During an Infectious Disease Outbreak
- 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Info for Families
- Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
- All About Stress | Todo sobre el estrés
- Controlling Stress + Audio (.mp3) - English | Spanish
- Encouraging a Friend to Seek Professional Help
- How to Help "When You Don’t Know What to Say"
- Parenting
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Online
- Weekly - Science of Parenting podcast and blog releases
- Science of Parenting LIVE on Facebook
New Releases
- Parenting in the Midst of COVID-19
- Help Children Cope with the Coronavirus Response
- Help Children Cope When the News Is Scary
Resources
- The Science of Parenting
- Literacy Resources for Parents and Caregivers
- Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource
- Talking With Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
- Protecting Children During the COVID-19 Outbreak
- Parenting in the Time of COVID-19
- Soaper Hero Handwashing Activities for Kids
- Helping Children Manage Stress
- Common Stresses for Parents of Teens
- Managing Stress in Young Families
- Managing Stress in Midlife Families
- COVID-19 Child Care Considerations
- Exploring Child Care Options in a Pandemic
- Child Care in Your Home
- The Transportation Scramble