Over 10,000 Minors Assisted in the Des Moines Metro
The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network assisted 29,627 unique individuals during the month of November, becoming the highest monthly total in the nearly 50-year history of the network.
10,496 of those assisted during this record month were under the age of 18. This is a number that was previously unthinkable before this fall, making up about 1 in 3 of everyone getting food assistance.
35%
of everyone assisted in November were children and young adults (0-17 years old).
65%
of adults (18-64) were working or disabled
Nearly 1 in 3 people utilizing DMARC’s network of food pantries are doing so for the first time. This additional strain is pushing food pantries to their limit during peak times of the year like the winter holidays as the changing of the seasons can bring additional expenses. As the number of children being affected by food insecurity rises, the strain is multiplied even when actively employed. Last month, 65 percent of all working-age adults (18-64 years old) that were assisted by DMARC were working or disabled.
“We want to sound the alarm on the realities that so many in our community are facing. There are 11,000 households in the metro that are struggling to meet their basic needs this holiday season.”
Matt Unger, DMARC CEO
A January 1 deadline is again looming for the state of Iowa to participate in additional funding during the summer months. The new permanent nutrition program called Summer EBT was introduced in 2024 and Iowa chose not to participate, instead submitting a waiver to USDA to implement a food box program that has since been denied. According to the Iowa Hunger Coalition, Summer EBT would provide temporary relief in summer 2025 to an estimated 245,000 Iowa children while school is out – far more than those being served by current summer meal sites.
“Something as simple as buying winter coats, a medical emergency, or replacing a flat tire, can lead to a crisis when you are a working parent living paycheck-to-paycheck,” said Matt Unger, CEO at DMARC.
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