The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) --  A new study has found that an average of 340,000 Iowans suffered from hunger issues from 2008 to 2010, and indicated that number may be growing.

The study, conducted by the Iowa Policy Project, concluded that the number of Iowa residents who suffered from hunger issues had grown to 382,500 by 2009, or 12.8 percent of the state's population.

The Iowa Policy Project, an Iowa City-based think tank, examined data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The study found Lee and Appanoose counties had the highest hunger rates, at 16.4 percent and 16.3 percent, respectively.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)