What You Need To Know
The Summer Food Service Program for Iowa is a federal level program funded by the central government. The program assists low-income households by helping them pay the meals of their children during summer vacations so that they are not deprived of healthy and nutritious food when they are not attending school. The program is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
In the U.S more than 14 million children are deprived of a balanced diet in their meal due to which they depend on free or low price meals more than 9 months of the year. These kids belong to poor households and are unable to get proper and nutritious meals when the schools are closed for vacations as the parent are unable to provide their children with healthy food because of low income. This put the kids at nutritional risk for that time but due to lack of awareness each year only 2.3 million children participate in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
What are the program objectives?
The main objective of the program is to provide healthy meals that are nutritionally balanced to establish good eating habits in the children. The children who are under 18 years of age and living in the state of Iowa can receive the benefits of the Summer Food Service Program. The meals are provided either free or at a very low cost. This makes sure that the kids belonging to low-income families are receiving healthy and nutritious food to maintain a balanced diet during summer vacations.
Are You Eligible?
Children who qualify for the Summer Food Services Program for Iowa State will receive free healthy meals. The eligibility conditions for the program are,
- The candidate must be a citizen or a legal alien in the country
- The candidate must be the citizen of Iowa
- The candidate is a parent or caretaker or a primary guardian with kids attending either high school or below
- The candidate’s household income must fall under the eligibility condition determined by the program
The parent’s citizenship and immigration status of the children are not the primary requirements to apply for the Iowa Summer Food Service Program. All the applicants residing in the state of Iowa have to follow the same procedure to get the program’s benefits.
It is advisable to apply for the program before the deadline in order to make sure your child is not deprived of the program’s benefits. The benefits provided by the program are effective during the whole vacation period until the schools are reopened.
What are the income requirements?
The number of members in a household and total household income are also very important factors while considering a candidate for the Summer Food Services Program in the state of Iowa. The amount of the maximum gross income level before taxes must equate,
| Size Of Household | Maximum Annual Income Level ($) |
| 1 | 23107 |
| 2 | 31284 |
| 3 | 39461 |
| 4 | 47638 |
| 5 | 55815 |
| 6 | 63992 |
| 7 | 72169 |
| 8 | 80346 |
In case, the household size is greater than 8 members an additional amount of $8177 is considered per member. It is advisable to contact the managing agency in your area as they will be able to provide you with the most recent and up-to-date guidelines about the Iowa Summer Food Service Program.
How To Apply
Once you check the requirement for the Summer Food Service Program for Iowa, the next step is to apply for the program. You can also call 1-866-HUNGRY or text ‘FOOD’ to 877-877 to find meal sites to get healthy and nutritious food for your kid.
You can also contact the Summer Food Site locator where you will find offices for the Summer Food Service Program in Iowa. Here you will find the list of offices in the state of Iowa where you can go to learn about the program and its eligibility criteria and other requirements. These websites will provide you with up-to-date information regarding the program to make the application process less daunting.
The agency looking into the Summer Food Service Program for Iowa makes sure that all the applications are accessed properly. The agency makes sure to determine the eligibility of the candidates within a specific time period of submitting the application form. The qualified families are approached about their qualifications once they are selected on time. This makes sure the eligible children are not deprived of healthy meals during summertime when the schools are closed.