The need for advocacy on behalf of Iowa Food Banks has never been greater. The need for food is greater today than it was during the pandemic. The decisions made by the Iowa General Assembly and at the national level impact Food Banks and the more than 229,500 adults, children, and seniors facing hunger in Iowa. In partnership with our six Feeding America Food Banks, IFBA is here to help you be a strong and effective voice for Food Banks with our advocacy toolkits, powerful coalitions with other hunger organizations and engagement in national issues. Together, we can make your message heard on issues that matter for Iowans facing food insecurity.
Advocacy Agenda
2025 Legislative Agenda (Federal & State)
Advocacy 101: How to Be and EBective Voice and Get Results
Effective advocacy is a year-round activity, and the key is building strong relationships with your legislators. There are many ways to go about building that relationship, and different actions you can take throughout the year, whether the legislature is in session or it is summer break. Your goal is to be your legislator’s go-to resource on education issues. Advocacy is, above all, about building relationships.
Engaging with Legislators:
Engaging directly with legislators is a cornerstone of effective advocacy. The legislature is in session for 4-5 months so for the rest of the year they are back home providing a great opportunity to discuss your issues.
- Be clear in your message. As referenced above; by making a clear and concise point, you will have done what most other people did not. This stands out.
- Why should your legislators care about this issue? Legislators get dozens of emails a day. Why should they care about yours? Have district/state specific data, you can show them a problem that they might not know exists.
- Stay in contact. Most people will only speak once to their legislator. Invite them to your food bank or food pantry. Bring them into your board meetings. Always have some form of communication with them. This keeps you at the front of the line.
- Be authentic with your message. Make it personal. Legislators get countless form emails that people put their name on and sent. Take the time to write an email about why this issue is important. That will be a change from most contacts they receive.
Don’t know how to start a conversation with your legislator? Use our sample email template.
INVITE YOUR LEGISLATORS TO YOUR FOOD BANK
Show legislators how purchasing works. Walk them through your facility and how the process takes place. Have them help portion food that will be sent to Iowans in need.
Pro tip: Show them the positive results of a bill that they passed. Legislators vote on hundreds of bills during session but rarely see the outcome.
SHARE YOUR ADVOCACY WITH IFBA
- Did you host a legislator?
- Do you have a success story to share?
- Did you attend a local forum where hunger was a topic of interest?
Sharing your advocacy with IFBA helps our advocacy efforts as an organization as we promote the positive impacts of Food Banks. Email our Advocacy Manger, Phil Jeneary at advocacy@iowafba.org
IFBA Day on the Hill
IFBA Day on the Hill helps anti-hunger advocates - like you - share their stories with lawmakers and educate elected officials about how hunger impacts their community.
Mark your calendars!
IFBA Day on the Hill
Tuesday, February 21, 2025
2:00-4:00 PM
Iowa State Capitol
Before visiting with your lawmakers, the IFBA prepares you with the necessary training and resources, with a webinar the week before and the proper information and materials. Our goal is to train you to become an effective advocate, not only on Day on the Hill, but also in your community.
ISSUE TOOLKITS
IFBA developed these resources to assist our members on current legislative issues.
During the 2024 legislative session, the legislature appropriated $300,000 for Food Banks,
emergency feeding organizations and schools to buy from Choose Iowa members.
Choose Iowa’s purpose is to connect consumers to Iowa produce and food products and expand markets for Iowa farmers. Food Banks are providing a 1:1 match for every dollar they receive, maximizing every dollar and increasing the buying power to help families in Iowa.
The Ask: Continue the program and increase the appropriation to Food Banks to purchase produce and food products from Choose Iowa vendors.
Resources:
Choose Iowa website: https://www.chooseiowa.com/index.php/
Double Up Food Bucks is a federal program that doubles the value of federal SNAP benefits spent at participating farmers markets and grocery stores, allowing people to bring home more fruits and vegetables, while supporting Iowa farmers.
Talking Points:
- Double Up Food Bucks allows SNAP users to match $1: $1 purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables made with their EBT card, up to $10 per day, to purchase fresh produce.
- In 2023, there were over 700,000 servings of produce purchase with DUFB, 36 counties with DUFB available, and over $800,000 worth of economic impact
- In 2023, over $1.2M in DUFB were earned, nearly $600,000 DUFB were redeemed, over 44,000 Iowans benefitted from the program, and over $200,000 in DUFB were redeemed at Farmers Markets
The Ask: Support legislation appropriating $1M to Double Up Food Bucks. The legislation, HF 2022 was co-sponsored by Rep. Shannon Latham (R), Rep. Chad Ingels (R), and Rep. David Young (R). Ask House members to reintroduce this legislation and co-sponsor. Ask Senate members to introduce companion legislation.
Resources:
MEET YOUR FOOD BANK ADVOCACY TEAM
Our advocacy work focuses on engaging our six Feeding America partner food banks. Representatives from each food bank make up our Iowa Advocacy Team. To learn more about how to get more involved, please contact your regional advocacy team member.
Learn More
If you want to learn more about the anti-hunger policy issues and how to advocate to end hunger in Iowa, you can visit these sites:
- The Feeding America site is a vital source of information. Its Hunger in America, Take Action, and Blog pages include specifics on general policy issues, actions to take, and stories to share about the fight against hunger in the US.
- Visit the Map the Meal Gap page to learn about food insecurity in Iowa and across the country.
- Join our email list to get updates.
LEGISLATOR LOOK UP
Find your legislators by entering your address.