IOWA — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announces on Wednesday the launch of the new Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Program – Food Bank Pilot – which was authorized during the 2024 legislative session.
The goal of the new program is to connect food banks across the sate with Choose Iowa members, like farmers and food and agriculture businesses, to address food insecurity.
“Iowa is often called the bread basket of the world, and we feed a lot of people around the world. So, this program really aims at feeding people here locally. It’s really about Iowans feeding Iowans,” HACAP Communications Manager Chris Ackman said.
The program will allocate $225,000 to assist food bank provide healthy foods to those in need.
State investment will be leveraged by the participating food banks who will match the state’s investment on a one-to-one basis.
How it works:
The Des Moines Area Religious Council, along with six Iowa food banks, will purchase products from farmers and ag businesses that are Choose Iowa members.
The six participating food banks are Food Bank of Iowa, HACAP, River Bend Food Bank, Northeast Iowa Food Bank, Food Bank of Siouxland and Food Bank for the Heartland.
The food banks will submit their qualifying purchases for partial reimbursement, up to a pre-approved limit, and reimbursements will be paid through Choose Iowa.
The reimbursement deadline is June 30, 2025.
“In short, we’re assisting Iowa food banks in providing nutritious food to our neighbors in need. In doing so, we’re also creating market demand for Iowa farmers. This also demonstrates how government nonprofits and the private sector can partner together to address community challenges while also building Iowa’s economy,” Naig said.
Eligible purchases through the program will include:
- Dairy products
- Meat and poultry
- Eggs
- Honey
- Produce
These products will all be stamped with the Choose Iowa logo.
You can find more information about Choose Iowa or the new pilot program, on the Choose Iowa Website.
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