Last week, House File 3 and Senate Study Bill 1105 both came before their respective House and Senate Health and Human Services Committees. Both passed out of committee with amendment as expected. The Senate bill passed along a party-line vote, and in the House, two Republicans (Rep. Eddie Andrews and Rep. Brian Lohse) voted against the bill along with all Democrats on the committee. HF 3 has been renumbered as House File 613, and SSB 1105 has been renumbered as Senate File 494. These newly-amended bills did make some improvements to the original bill language, but would still put Iowans at risk of losing their SNAP benefits due to new eligibility ...

STORY BY JOE DOLACK, OPERATIONS MANAGER Transportation has long been a barrier for people looking to access a food pantry. Learning to meet that need sparked an idea and partnership between Des Moines Area Regional Transit (DART) and DMARC. Since 2018, the mobile pantry site at DART Central station has operated every Thursday and has become one of the most utilized mobile sites that DMARC operates. Being downtown or along a dedicated route to larger employers helps us reach folks who may not otherwise find a pantry site. This location provides food assistance to a higher percentage of those that are unhoused for the Monthly Core Supply and ...