Iowa puts $1 million toward summer meal sites, still faces criticism for rejecting federal funds

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is directing nearly a million dollars in grant funding to expand summer meal sites for low-income kids.

It is an effort that advocates welcome, but some remained worried that it won’t be enough to alleviate the barriers to access that were addressed by a separate federal program — providing roughly $29 million to Iowa’s low-income families — that the state rejected.

The state is allocating $900,000 to schools and nonprofit organizations that participate in certain federal programs designed to serve summer meals and snacks in counties where at least 50% of children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

The state’s funding would be used to either open new sites or to supplement existing sites’ expenses like local food purchases or community outreach.

Meg Brink, a registered dietician who consults on school food programs across the state, said the nutrition standards associated with these federal programs offer vital meals — and lessons on healthy diets — for students.

“If there’s any opportunity to provide students with good meals, good nutritious meals,” she said, “that’s a win.”

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