This year has seen some recording setting numbers for a statewide organization.

Food Bank of Iowa CEO and President Michelle Book is also a Jefferson High School graduate, as she tells Raccoon Valley Radio that in just the last two months, the Food Bank of Iowa has given over 2.5 million pounds of food to its 55-county service area, which she emphasizes is the most amount of food their organization has done in its 40 year history. She explains one of the factors for the record number of food is due to younger working families utilizing food pantry services because they do not make enough money for basic needs. Book believes this is compounded by other rising costs.

“We’re going into a cold, cold winter where folk are going to have to start paying more for utility bills as well. So as folks are more and more strapped due to inflation, cost of housing, healthcare, all of that is leaving less in the bank account at the end of the pay period to cover the cost of food.”

Book details the figures of what the Food Bank of Iowa has given alone with its partners in Greene County and the other six contiguous counties in 2024 alone.

“We’ve delivered 2.4 million pounds of food across the seven counties of which Greene (County) is at the epicenter. And the value of that food is almost  $3.7 million of food that have been delivered to the doors of our partners across those seven counties.”  

Book adds that wages are certainly another reason for the increased numbers of families needing help. She says a single parent with one child needs to make an hourly wage of $20.64 to cover the basic needs.