(Radio Iowa) – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits were increased during the pandemic. That ends, starting today. Cecelia Profitt of Iowa City says she used the extra money to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables for her family of four.  “You don’t have to make every single decision based on maximum, you know, calories per dollar or whatever,” she says.

Profitt expects to lose around two-hundred-50 dollars ($250) in food assistance per month. Individuals could see their benefits reduced by up to two-hundred-30 dollars ($230) a month. Tara Kramer of Des Moines says during the pandemic she’d been getting two-hundred-50 dollars ($250) a month in food assistance and that will drop to 20-dollars ($20). “I have a dynamic disability, so I go to the doctor a lot and I am not going to be able to continue with physical therapy because I won’t be able to afford those co-pays,” she says.

According to state data, nearly 290-thousand Iowans receive SNAP benefits. SNAP benefits, previously known as food stamps, are paid out over the first 10 days of every month. The payment date is based on the first letter of the recipient’s last name.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Natalie Krebs)