SerpApi.Org
On July 22, 2026, at the Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates, the World Food Prize Foundation will once again — as it has for the past 20 years — host the Iowa Hunger Summit.
Hunger fighters from across the state will convene to hear experts from Iowa and across the country discuss best practices for meeting the needs of a growing number of people grappling with hunger and food and nutrition insecurity.
I remember well attending the announcement of the Iowa Hunger Summit in 2006, when I was governor. In 2007, I joined former governors Robert D. Ray and Terry Branstad, with newly elected Gov. Chet Culver, at the first Iowa Hunger Summit with the goal of reducing food and nutrition insecurity in Iowa. Seven years later, we celebrated the Foundation’s establishment of the Robert D. Ray Iowa Shares Humanitarian Award that has recognized an Iowan going above and beyond in an effort to feed those in need.
This year’s Hunger Summit comes at a critical time in the fight to end hunger in Iowa. According to Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger relief organization in America, in its latest “Meal Gap” report, 1 in 8 Iowans are food insecure. Even more troubling, 1 in 6 of our children face food insecurity. Sadly, in 11 Iowa counties, child food insecurity tops 20%.
The challenge of ending hunger here in Iowa is likely to grow with the passage of the H.F. 1 by Congress and signed into law on July 4, 2025. The bill, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, enacted the largest cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in its history. The Congressional Budget Office projects a reduction of over $186 billion to SNAP over the next 10 years.
The spending cuts, used to offset tax cuts and other spending, resulted in part from expanding work and training requirements to the elderly, to parents and caregivers of children over the age of 14, to homeless individuals, to veterans and to youth transitioning out of foster care. Additional restrictions to accessing SNAP benefits for refugees, victims of human trafficking and asylum seekers also contributed to the cuts.
Since enactment, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis of the United States Department of Agriculture and state data indicated that participation in SNAP has fallen by 4 million people. Additional reductions in participation will likely occur as states take on a share of the cost of benefits for the first time if error rates in SNAP from overpayments or underpayments of benefits exceed 6%.
In the past, states only had to pay 50% of the administrative costs to run SNAP, but now the states will be required to pay 75% of the administrative costs plus anywhere from 5% to 15% of the benefits costs depending on the state’s error rate. For Iowa this could mean an additional cost of $50 million to $70 million that will come out of the already tight state budget if the state’s error rate ever exceeds the 6% threshold.
The Congressional Budget Office projects another 2 million to 4 million people will lose benefits over the next decade from the work requirements alone.
There is no guarantee that a reduction in SNAP participation will correspond with a reduction in food insecurity in Iowa or across the country. A more likely outcome is that the demand on other parts of the food assistance system will increase. Employers may face greater pressure to hire older adults, veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness and others who lose benefits. Food banks and pantries may need to expand their capacity to provide more food and improve access for those in need. Communities, in turn, may be called upon to provide greater support for local hunger relief efforts.
The World Food Prize Foundation’s goal is to elevate innovations and inspire action in the state, the nation and the world where food and nutrition insecurity is a thing of the past. A lofty goal that begs the question: What can a person do in the face of such a large challenge?
There are four separate actions suggested by Feeding America that everyone could consider if they share the goal of ending hunger:
- Make a contribution to an organization committed to the mission of ending hunger.
- Organize a fundraiser or food drive at their church, workplace or community.
- Volunteer to sort, pack or distribute food at a food bank or pantry.
- Advocate for better leveraging of resources from the government, private sector and non-profit section to fill the gap.
The World Food Prize Foundation and The Outreach Program want to help. On Tuesday, July 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Hall of Laureates at 100 Locust St. in Des Moines, Iowa, we are inviting volunteers to help pack meals to help food-insecure people here and around the world. You can sign up for a shift or two at www.iowahungersummit.org/packmeals.
On July 22, I know the World Food Prize Foundation will convene several hundred people committed to the vision of a food and nutrition secure Iowa. What about the rest of us? It really does require a village.
Tom Vilsack is president and CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation. He was governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007 and served 12 years as U.S. secretary of agriculture.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Feeding the world really will take a village, more than ever | Opinion
