[Update] (Radio Iowa) – Governor Reynolds is seeking a waiver to use federal funds to provide boxes of food for low income Iowa kids NEXT summer. Reynolds turned down 29 million dollars in federal funding for a program THIS summer that would have provided an extra 120 dollars in grocery money for each child who qualifies for a free or reduced price lunch at school. Iowa was one of 13 states that did not participate in the program.

The money is distributed with Electronic Benefit Transfer or E-B-T cards that can be used at grocery stores where food stamps are accepted. The governor’s request is for Iowa to get the 29 million next summer and use it to provide boxes of groceries to feed an estimated 300-thousand children. Reynolds says her alternative will use bulk purchasing and provide healthier food to families, at lower cost.

Iowa Hunger Coalition spokesman Luke Elzinga says it’s not exactly what the group hoped for, but it acknowledges there’s a need to act because Iowa food pantries are overwhelmed. “We appreciate the state’s willingness to explore alternative options,” he says, “but we also remain steadfast in our belief that using Summer EBT to provide grocery benefits directly to families is the best decision for Iowa.”

Democrats have criticized Reynolds for refusing to accept the federal money to feed low income kids this summer. Some Democrats in the legislature say the governor now is proposing a new and untested way of distributing food assistance and she should, instead, use the same benefit system established for food stamps.