‘From the ground up': Iowa Hunger Summit explores local solutions to hunger

Yahoo

3 days ago

Former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, from right, speaks with Patricia Montague, Kelly McMahon and Aaron Dworkin July 16, 2025 at the 2025 Iowa Hunger Summit at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in Des Moines. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Hunger fighting advocates gathered Wednesday at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in Des Moines for the Iowa Hunger Summit, with a focus on the root causes and local solutions to hunger that can make big differences.
Speakers focused not only on the ongoing challenges of providing food, which the World Food Prize Foundation calls a moral right, but also on the rippling effects the federal 'big beautiful' law will have on food programming.
'I would be seriously remiss if I did not acknowledge that government policy changes are significantly impacting our collective work right now,' said Ann McGlynn, recipient of the 2025 Iowa SHARES Humanitarian Award.
McGlynn was awarded for her work as founder and executive director of Tapestry Farms in Davenport. Her nonprofit reclaims underutilized land and uses it to grow fresh and culturally relevant produce to strengthen food systems for communities in need.
It also provides social services to refugees from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
She highlighted recent 'slashing' to government-funded food assistance programs and the 'indefinite pause' to the resettlement program inspired by former Iowa Gov. Robert D. Ray, whose work inspired the SHARES award.
Beyond policy changes, McGlynn encouraged participants to 'be a friend to an immigrant or refugee,' plant a garden, give produce to people in need, lend time to food assistance programs and call elected officials.
'If you would like some help, you can reach out to me and I'll be personally happy to help,' McGlynn added.
According to Feeding America's latest Map the Meal Gap report, 1 in 8 Iowans, and 1 in 6 Iowa children are food insecure. A Food Bank of Iowa analysis of the data found that each of Iowa's 99 counties saw an increase in food insecurity rates in the past year.
World Food Prize Foundation President Mashal Husain said while the meal gap can be 'measured in millions,' the 'shame, the isolation, the slow erosion of hope' that hunger brings cannot be measured.
'Yet we are not helpless,' Husain said. 'In fact, there is so much we can do, because in Iowa, we don't just talk about problems, we roll up our sleeves, we care, we show up and we choose to act … we make change, and that is what from the ground up, is all about.'
Speakers and sessions at the summit focused on local solutions, the need for federal, local and community support and also on dreaming up new solutions.
In a session about maternal hunger support, Lindsy Carroll, an Iowa-based nutrition educator for the Women, Infant and Children, or WIC, program, said her dream was for paid maternal and paternal leave in the country.
Her call was met with applause in the packed presentation room.
A breastfeeding coordinator for WIC, Yolanda Pina, said she dreamed of support for community gardens in WIC communities.
The speakers also highlighted locally led solutions, like Hy-Vee's integration in its online shopping app that allows WIC users to shop online with their WIC cards.
Alison Hard, the public policy director for the National WIC Association, said Iowa was one of the first states to launch this service that makes shopping with WIC less time consuming.
Hard said this was the type of local solution that can drive national change.
WIC is a discretionary budget program, meaning it wasn't affected by cuts in the 'big beautiful' law that made changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and Medicaid.
Even so, Hard called for congressional support to fully fund the WIC program in their budget bills this year in order to 'avoid waitlists' and ensure every 'eligible family is able to benefit from WIC's critical services.'
'Participation in WIC is rising because of inflation, rising grocery costs and the expiration of other federal supports, and we anticipate that will be even more so after the passage of reconciliation,' Hard said.
Hard also mentioned a proposed cut to WIC's Cash Value Benefit, which allows participants to purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables with their benefits. In 2021, the CVB amount increased from $9 a month for children, to more than $20 a month, and higher amounts depending on circumstances.
The House budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the WIC program, notes a 10% reduction in funding for vouchers.
Hard said these vouchers also need to be protected.
Tom Vilsack, CEO of World Food Prize, led a session about the impacts of hunger and food funding cuts to schools, but started by emphasizing the importance of the WIC program and urging attendees to promote the program so 'those who qualify and could use WIC, know about the program.'
Vilsack was joined by a number of education policy leaders, including Patricia Montague, who leads the School Nutrition Association.
Montague said she fears the impacts federal action will have on school lunch programs. She said school feeding programs are already underfunded, meaning extra costs to cover the program typically come from the state's general budget.
Montague said with the changes to SNAP in the federal reconciliation bill that mean the states have to pick up a bigger share of the program, she's concerned states will no longer be able to supplement school lunch budgets.
These school lunch programs, other panelists said, are essential to students.
Aaron Dworkin, CEO of the National Summer Learning Association, said schools give kids laptops, books, pencils, and all the tools they need to learn.
'Why would we not just give them meals?' Dworkin said.
Vilsack ended the segment by quoting World Food Prize laureate Cary Fowler, who said, 'If you don't feed people, you fee conflict.'
While he was U.S. secretary of Agriculture, Vilsack helped to champion the SUN BUCKS program, to help low income families receive a little bit of extra funding during the summer months, when schools aren't providing two meals, five days a week to students.
Gov. Kim Reynolds has opted out of participating in the feeding program every year. This year, she spearheaded the Healthy Kids Iowa program as a cheaper alternative.
Vilsack said that during Covid, food box programs fell short in catering to dietary needs, but added 'that's part of the challenge.'
'The SUN BUCKS program is a program that's pretty easy to administer and provides assistance and help to families. The food-box program is a little different but it's a start and we'll see how it goes,' Vilsack said.
He also announced the relaunching of the Iowa Hunger Directory, an initiative to profile all organizations fighting hunger to provide insight into how Iowans can support their work around the state.
'I think basically, if you don't feed kids, you're not feeding your future,' Vilsack said.
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