The River Bend Food Bank is partnering with 22 food pantries across Iowa to distribute monthly food boxes to eligible families. The state-funded Healthy Kids Iowa Pilot Program provides one box of food per child ages 4 to 18.
Volunteer Engagement Manager Jana Fleming explains the packing process.
“We have about 27 items that go in each box. Volunteers come in and pack the dry items into the boxes. When the boxes get distributed at the pantries, there’s additional produce, and bread, and protein that gets distributed,” Fleming said.
Volunteers pack the boxes with shelf-stable milk, pasta, fruit cups, peanut butter, jelly, and individually wrapped snacks. Families will also receive produce and meat as part of the program at the partnering pantries.
The packing process is volunteer-based. Volunteer David Schultz shares his packing method.
“Keep going as efficiently as you can, don’t forget anything, and make sure you’ve got all the juice boxes and proteins and two chocolate milks. Everything else is one per palette, but chocolate milk is two per palette. Easy job, easy work, and we’re having a good time doing it,” Schultz said.
The Healthy Kids Iowa Pilot Program is an alternative to the Summer EBT program. Last year, Iowa added $40 worth of credits onto EBT cards to provide for children’s summer snacks and meals. This year, the state is working with food pantries to supply $40 worth of food in individual boxes.
Director of partnerships, Nikki Habben, says the food bank is making good use of the money.
“We at the food bank can make the forty dollars go a lot farther than if you go to a grocery store just because of the buying power that we do have,” Habben said.
Habben says the program was able to feed 3,000 kids in June.
“Those numbers are low,” says Habben. “We have the ability to serve up to 7,000 kids in July and August of this year. So, we’re really wanting to get the word out to have these parents and their children visit the sites," Habben said.
Families don’t need to register, and children don’t need to be in attendance to receive a box. A list of food pick-up sites, eligibility criteria, and distribution times is available on the River Bend Food Bank website.
The Healthy Kids Iowa Pilot Program is operating in Cedar, Clinton, Dubuque, Jackson, Muscatine, and Scott counties.
This story was produced by WVIK, Quad Cities NPR. We rely on financial support from our listeners and readers to provide coverage of the issues that matter to the Quad Cities region and beyond. As someone who values the content created by WVIK's news department, please consider making a financial contribution to support our work.