Latest news with #DesMoinesAreaReligiousCouncil
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trone Garriott running for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District
DES MOINES, Iowa — State Senator Sarah Trone Garriot has announced she is running for U.S. Congress. The Democrat from West Des Moines reavealed Monday morning she is running for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District. If she earns the party's nomination, she'll likely face incumbent Republican Congressman Zach Nunn in the 2026 election. Trone Garriott was first elected to the Iowa Senate in November 2020, serving a term for the 22nd District. Because of redistricting, she and her family moved to the 14th District in 2022, and her bid was successful to oust then-Senate President Jake Chapman. Gov. Reynolds discusses decision not to run for office, role in the primary race In her announcement video, Trone Garriott said, 'I'm the only Iowa Democrat who flipped two seats from red to blue then won a district that went to Trump in 2024. I know how to win and I know how to deliver for Iowans.' She also took aim at her presumptive opponent, Rep. Zach Nunn. 'Zach Nunn has failed us as Iowa struggles with higher costs, attacks on our personal freedoms, and reckless cuts to our public schools. Zach Nunn is not showing up, he's not listening, and he's not working for us.' Trone Garriott is the coordinator of interfaith engagement at the Des Moines Area Religious Council. She's been with the organization since 2017. She's also an ordained pastor through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Trone Garriott is the mother of two sons, who attend public school in West Des Moines. She is married to William Garriott, a law professor at Drake University. The National Republican Congressional Committee issued a statement on Trone Garriott's decision to run: 'Out of touch Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott is another activist attempting to radicalize Iowa – pushing a dangerous, extreme agenda that would raise costs, allow men in girls' sports, and weaken public safety. Iowans want leaders who deliver commonsense results, and that's exactly why they'll send Zach Nunn back to Congress.' NRCC Spokeswoman Emily Tuttle Scholastic Spotlight: U.S. Academic Decathlon & I-35 yearbook goals Community helps save historic Webster Theater again Trone Garriott running for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District Creston PD search for driver involved in hit-and-run on Saturday Caitlin Clark hits Carver-Hawkeye Arena again, fans turn out to see Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rollins emphasizes SNAP is for working Americans
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins reinforced SNAP work and citizenship requirements with memorandums sent to state agencies. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued memorandums to state agencies urging them to enforce federal guidelines around work requirements and citizenship status when issuing food assistance. Food security advocates in Iowa say the measures do not change much for the agencies administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Luke Elzinga, policy and advocacy director for Des Moines Area Religious Council and chair of Iowa Hunger Coalition, said the memos are more about sending a message than creating policy changes. 'The implication is that people on SNAP are not working, and that we have a bunch of undocumented immigrants on SNAP, and neither of those are true,' Elzinga said. SNAP rules require that anyone ages 16-59 work at least 30 hours per week, unless they have a physical or mental limitation, are a caretaker, receiving unemployment, participating in addiction treatment or studying at a school or training program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Failure to comply with the work requirements could result in loss of SNAP eligibility for one month or longer. Further, able-bodied adults without dependents, or ABAWD, aged 18-54, have to complete additional work requirements, or else risk losing access to SNAP benefits for more than three months every three years. States may request waivers from the ABAWD requirements, which Rollins, as the secretary of Agriculture, has the authority to approve or deny. Rollins' memorandum to state agencies asked them to 'be mindful' of the law that created ABAWD requirements and its intent to 'reduce dependence on public assistance programs and to support self-sufficiency.' The memo asks states to ensure their waiver requests apply 'only to those who truly need it so that those who can work, do.' Elzinga said Iowa does not have any ABAWD waivers in place, so the announcement doesn't have much impact on the state. In a press release about the memorandum, Rollins said states have 'abused' the system by requesting work requirement waivers. 'Today marks the start of a new era for SNAP—prioritizing work, career and technical education, and volunteering rather than idleness, excess spending, and misapplication of the law,' Rollins said in the statement. 'Since my confirmation, I have reiterated the states are our partners, and this includes ensuring our nutrition programs are tied to putting Americans back to work.' Elzinga said enforcing work requirements would be effective at getting individuals to stop using the SNAP program, but not because they would be improving their overall economic well-being. 'We should be supporting people and helping them have access to those (job training) programs, but not necessarily making them a condition of receiving food and health care,' Elzinga said. On a local level, the Iowa Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds are pushing for expanded work requirements for Iowans to receive Medicaid or SNAP benefits. The other memorandum instructed states to 'carefully examine' their practices for verifying identity and immigration status, to ensure that 'ineligible aliens' do not receive SNAP benefits. The benefits are only available to U.S. citizens and certain eligible 'non-citizen groups' including: refugees, individuals granted asylum, entrants from specific countries like Haiti, Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan and Micronesian islands. Non-citizen children under 18 are also eligible, as are residents with green cards, battered non-citizens and conditional entrants after meeting certain criteria. Elzinga said memo is a bit of a 'nothing burger,' because 'undocumented immigrants don't receive SNAP.' 'It's not allowed by the program,' he said. 'And we also know that it can be really difficult for legal immigrants who qualify for SNAP to even be able to get benefits.' Elzinga said the effort might have an impact by dissuading eligible immigrant families from applying for SNAP benefits, which he said agencies saw during the first Trump administration. 'I do think this announcement could instill fear among mixed status households or even legal immigrants who qualify for SNAP,' he said, noting that folks might withdraw from the program out of fear that it would impact their immigration status. The memo outlines processes that state agencies should follow to verify immigration status and eligibility, including the use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, program which was recently made available to states at no cost. Elzinga said this would be the only real change to the state policy, because having access to the program for free could save agencies some money when running the service. The memo also encourages states to use other strategies, like surveys and in-person interviews to further verify identity and status of SNAP applicants. 'We are stewards of taxpayer dollars, and it is our duty to ensure states confirm the identity and verify the immigration status of SNAP applicants,' Rollins said in a press release. 'USDA's nutrition programs are intended to support the most vulnerable Americans. To allow those who broke our laws by entering the United States illegally to receive these benefits is outrageous.' The U.S. Department of Agriculture press release cites a report from the Government Accountability Office that found in 2023, USDA paid about $10.5 billion in 'improper' SNAP benefits. GAO listed failure to verify citizenship, identity, education, employment, finances, household size and residency as the top causes for improper payments. U.S. congressional leaders from Iowa introduced a bill earlier this session to similarly address the problems outlined in GAO study. Rollins also sent a letter to state governors in early April, calling for improvements to SNAP application processing times. The program guidelines stipulate that applications are to be processed in 30 days for normal applications, but the letter said more than 30 states fail to meet that deadline. Iowa's application processing timeliness was rated at 77% in 2023. Elzinga said the letter appears to be 'a good thing' to help improve processing rates in Iowa and other states. The SNAP program is also expected to be impacted by the $230 billion in cuts congressional leaders are tasked with making to the federal House Agriculture budget. Several funding programs that helped food banks purchase food have already been cut at the federal level, despite the fact that food pantries, at least in Iowa, are only seeing an increase in need. 'No time is really a good time to be talking about SNAP cuts, but especially right now when we're seeing this historic need … it's just a really, I think, a really concerning time,' Elzinga said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Des Moines food pantries face spiking demand as the Iowa region's SNAP enrollment declines
As part of its drive to cut federal spending, the Trump administration has paused over US$500 million of funds that had previously flowed annually to food banks across the U.S. It's not the only policy change that could make it harder than it already is for many Americans to get enough to eat. I'm a professor of statistics who finds hidden patterns in data related to food insecurity in Iowa. I also serve on the board of directors of Iowa's largest network of food pantries. Food pantries in Iowa have seen demand for their assistance soar in recent years. At the same time, fewer Iowans have been enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, through which low-income Americans get money from the government to buy groceries. It may seem illogical that anyone in Iowa would need help obtaining food. Known as the 'breadbasket of the world,' my state plays a crucial role in food production as a top supplier of grain, meats and eggs to both domestic and international markets. For example, in 2023, Iowa led the nation in corn production, harvesting over 2.5 billion bushels. It's also the top producer of eggs, supplying more than 13 billion eggs per year. Despite this agricultural abundance, food insecurity – not being able to maintain an adequate diet – is a pressing issue. In 2022, an estimated 1 in 9 Iowans were hungry. This rate was even higher among children: 1 in 6. Many food-insecure families turn to food pantries to fill their refrigerators and cupboards. The Des Moines Area Religious Council operates 14 food pantries in the Polk County area. This network of food pantries has been seeing record-breaking demand. It provided food to more than 70,000 people in 2024, up from 59,000 a year earlier. About 35% of the people it supports are children. This rate has been increasing since government phased out COVID-19 pandemic-era programs, such as the Child Tax Credit expansion and summer EBT, a federal nutrition program that helped low-income families feed their kids when schools were closed. Some 19% of food pantry clients in the Des Moines region are unemployed adults, only 8% are people who are 65 and up, and 38% are adults who are either working or have disabilities. Early in the pandemic, Congress temporarily expanded SNAP by providing everyone enrolled in the program with the maximum amount of benefits for which they were eligible based on the number of people in their family, regardless of their income. Normally, only 37% of the people who get SNAP benefits get the maximum amount. For 2025, for example, a family of three can get up to $768 a month through the program. In March 2022, Iowa became one of the first states to end this policy, creating a natural experiment of sorts at a time when food prices were rising quickly. As you might expect, the number of clients visiting food pantries surged once that policy changed. This trend continued throughout 2024, with many months of record-breaking demand at the state's food pantries. While most food pantry visitors in Polk County qualify for at least some SNAP benefits, only around 1 in 3 are enrolled in the program today, down from 44% in 2020. This decline in SNAP enrollment is placing more pressure on the food pantries trying to make up the difference. Low SNAP enrollment rates can be partly explained by low benefit amounts, which is all that some eligible individuals and families qualify for. Recent laws have made it more difficult for families to be eligible to receive benefits. In 2023, Iowa introduced a state-specific asset test, which limits the total assets of all members of a family to $15,000 in order to maintain eligibility. This test includes the value of boats, vacation homes and savings accounts. It also includes a second vehicle used for household transportation purposes, but not a family's primary residence. Another consideration is time management, especially in light of the additional administrative hurdles. 'The time it is taking these working households to get and maintain their SNAP benefits is significantly more time and effort than simply visiting a local food pantry,' said Matt Unger, Des Moines Area Religious Council's CEO. 'Here in Iowa, we are facing nearly a 17-year low in SNAP enrollment while food banks and food pantries across the state are breaking records every month. Something just doesn't add up.' Congress is currently deciding whether to cut SNAP spending. If lawmakers do that, benefits will decline, increasing the strain on food pantries in Iowa and everywhere else across the country. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Lendie R. Follett, Drake University Read more: Big cuts at the Education Department's civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for years to come GOP lawmakers eye SNAP cuts, which would scale back benefits that help low-income people buy food at a time of high food prices US food insecurity rate rose to 13.5% in 2023 as government benefits declined and food prices soared Lendie R. Follett is affiliated with the Des Moines Area Religious Council. She currently serves on the board of directors.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DMARC CEO Matt Unger to leave interfaith organization fighting food insecurity
After six years, DMARC CEO Matt Unger will be leaving the organization that works to end food insecurity by meeting the needs of Iowans through its pantries and advocating for state policies. Unger's last day with the Des Moines Area Religious Council is June 30, according to a news release. Until then, he will help hand his role to the successor, who has yet to be selected, the release stated. In the release, Unger described his time at the organization in two words: "Incredibly impactful." DMARC's first lay leader, Unger began his role in 2019, navigating the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, including the continuous growth in the number of people facing hunger. When Unger started in 2019, DMARC served 42,848 unique individuals. By last year, that figure grew to a record 75,519. Under his tenure, Unger completed the fundraising campaign and project for DMARC's facility expansion and relocation to 100 Army Post Road in Des Moines, its board of directors said in the release. "This project brought the warehouse operations, administration, and DMARC's first-ever on-site food pantry together under one roof – all through the thick of the pandemic," they said. Unger shared the news of his departure with the board of directors last summer, according to the release, which did not say what will be his next role. More: A guide to free meals, food pantries in the Des Moines metro, and how you can help The search for candidates is ongoing, with the hope of having a new CEO by mid-April, the release said. With Unger still in his role, he will work beside the new leader before officially stepping down June 30. Upon stepping into the role, Unger said he has kept people "who guide and support our efforts every day" at the forefront. He credits them to DMARC's ability to assist over 130,000 people in the Des Moines metro over the last few years. "From the beginning, I have kept in mind that this role was never about me," Unger said in the release. "Our job isn't finished," he continued. "I know our leadership will continue to put people first and guide our community to a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive — all of our neighbors." F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@ or follow her on X @writefelissa. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: DMARC CEO Matt Unger leaving organization fighting food insecurity
