Barb Kalbach.

I love getting together with my kids and grandkids for family meals. Passing dinner around the table, sharing stories and enjoying time with one another – these are some of my favorite things to do.

Unfortunately, having enough money to pay for those meals is difficult for too many Iowa families. That’s why we need food assistance programs.

One of these programs helps children – who usually get two meals a day during the school year – get the food they need during the summer. It’s called the Summer EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) Program and it’s administered by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Roughly 245,000 Iowa kids are eligible for the program. It provides $120 per child in nutrition benefits during the summer when they’re not in school. That’s about $40 a month, which is a modest amount. But Governor Kim Reynolds is working hard to prevent those kids from getting it. To me, that’s downright wrong.

Reynolds wants to reject federal funds through Summer EBT and instead use a “food box” plan that we already know won’t get the job done. The Trump Administration’s food box program was an unmitigated disaster, a complete waste of taxpayer dollars. In fact, Iowa CCI members – along with other grassroots community groups – protested food boxes at a February 2018 national policy conference in Washington DC. It was a bad idea then. It’s a bad idea now.

Reynolds says Iowa can’t afford to administer the summer EBT program, but that excuse doesn’t hold water. It would cost around $2 million to run, and there are federal grants to help pay for it.

SNAP has huge economic benefits, especially in rural areas. It creates $1.54 of economic activity for every $1 in SNAP assistance. Grocery stores and our local economies benefit from the program.

Reynolds is on a power grab. It seems like she favors the “food box” route because she wants to dictate what food people purchase. But my experience tells me parents know best how to feed their families. People should have the freedom to make their own food choices rather than depend on the “Reynolds’ Diet”.

SNAP is critical in delivering what kids need. There’s overwhelming research documenting how important nutrition is for students. But in the summer, SNAP families don’t have school meals to rely on.

“Too many of our neighbors are struggling to put food on the table right now,” said Luke Elzinga, board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition. “Food pantries are overwhelmed. Iowa’s children missed out on Summer EBT this year. We cannot afford to turn down this important program again.”

Luke is right. This is a no-brainer. Summer EBT would help feed 245,000 children and provide $29 million to pay for it in a way that supports jobs and healthy food all over the state. It’s absolutely the right thing to do.

Barb Kalbach lives in Adair County, Iowa. She is a 4th-generation family farmer, a registered nurse, and board president of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. Barb can be reached at barbnealkalbach@gmail.com.