Iowa has allocated nearly a million dollars in grant funding to expand summer meal sites for low-income children, a move that has been met with both appreciation and concerns from advocates. The funding will be directed to schools and nonprofit organizations participating in federal programs aimed at providing summer meals and snacks in counties where at least 50% of children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Last summer, these programs served approximately 1.6 million meals and snacks to Iowa's youth, although only around 22,000 children were reached, significantly fewer than the 362,000 kids who receive free or reduced lunches during the school year.
