Set up the ask
Iowa Health and Human Services
The Emergency Food Assistance Program
What you get
Free food and meals through participating pantries and meal sites. Ask whether requests are open.
- Who starts it
- Your care team
- How it’s sent
- Through your care team
- Your time
- One conversation with your care team
- Last checked
- Aug 27, 2026
Before you start, check you fit
- Annual figures, local capacity, and program transitions can change; confirm before relying on this record.
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One thing to do: ask your care teamThey send it. You give them what they need.
Iowa Health and Human Services takes requests from your care team, not from families. Copy this message, or say it at the next visit.
Hi [social worker’s name], Could you send a request to Iowa Health and Human Services for us? They offer free food and meals through participating pantries and meal sites, and it has to come from you. Their page is here: https://hhs.iowa.gov/assistance-programs/food-assistance/emergency-food Tell me what you need from me and I’ll bring it to our next visit. Thank you for everything you do for us. [your name] · [phone]
Copying is the only thing this page does with your text. Nothing is saved.Their program page ↗ Checked Aug 27, 2026What to bring to the meeting
- Your child’s diagnosis, the hospital’s name, and what you need help with.
After your care team sends it
Ask the pantry about its current hours and food availability before traveling.