DES MOINES, Iowa — The Polk County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to allocate $1 million to local food programs, as food pantries across the county face record demand.
The county says the emergency funding comes from non-budgeted, interest-earning county dollars and is expected to provide around 473,000 pounds of food. The Food Bank of Iowa will receive $750,000, DMARC will get $230,000 and Caring Hands will receive $20,000.
Board Chair Matt McCoy said the move was necessary to help fill the gap created by reduced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and the ongoing government shutdown…