113 Iowa Food Pantries Receive Grants to Increase Cold Storage, Feeding Capacity
Pack the Pantry program helps food pantries serve more fresh foods to Iowans in need
DES MOINES, Iowa (Sept. 2, 2020) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced that 113 food pantries in 51 Iowa counties have been approved for grants through the Pack the Pantry program. The program helps food pantries expand their cold storage capacity and meet increased demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pack the Pantry is supported by $440,000 in CARES Act funding provided by Gov. Reynolds and is an initiative of the Governor’s Feeding Iowans Task Force led by Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg.
“In Iowa we have seen our producers, business owners, and families step up to help those in need,” said Gov. Reynolds. “The Pack the Pantry grant program continues to provide our food pantries with the tools they need to help even more Iowans have access to nutritious food grown in Iowa.”
“The Feeding Iowans Task Force was excited to team up with the Department of Agriculture to distribute these necessary funds to food pantries all across our state,” said Lt. Gov. Gregg. “These Pack the Pantry Grants will go far to minimize one of the biggest barriers for our food pantries and allow them to distribute even more healthy and home-grown products.”
“Our pantries are the first line of defense against hunger in Iowa, and lack of refrigeration can be a limiting factor to helping those in our communities who are battling food insecurity,” said Secretary Naig. “Through this program, we can increase cold storage capacity and help get more Iowa-raised meat, produce, dairy and eggs on plates where it’s needed most.”
Iowa food banks and pantries work under a “hub-and-spoke” model. The state has six major food banks that collect large quantities of food, which they distribute to more than 2,000 pantries in all 99 counties.
Through Pack the Pantry, the Iowa Egg Council and Iowa egg farmers will donate eggs to participating food pantries. The Iowa Egg Council and Iowa egg farmers donate 35,000 dozen eggs to the Food Bank of Iowa each month. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Iowa egg farmers have increased their donation to 45,000 dozen eggs each month.
“By investing in pantry refrigeration, Iowa will be in a stronger place to respond to the ongoing food security challenge that has intensified because of COVID-19,” said Linda Gorkow, Executive Director of the Iowa Food Bank Association. “Beyond the immediate impact, we know that this investment will benefit food insecure Iowans in our communities for many years to come.”
Gov. Reynolds launched the Feeding Iowans Task Force to address food security-related issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Task Force is led by Lt. Gov. Gregg. In addition to Pack the Pantry, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship administers other Feeding Iowans Task Force initiatives, including Pass the Pork, Beef Up Iowa, and a turkey food purchase program, all of which help connect Iowa farmers with food bank feeding programs.
A full list of approved recipients can be downloaded here