Your donations of surplus food to the DMARC are critical to our mission. We welcome donations from commercial manufacturers and processors, retail stores, agricultural farmers, local gardeners and individual home pantries.
Donation Drop Off
Food donations may be dropped off at the DMARC Food Pantry Network Warehouse.
- Address: 100 Army Post Rd, Des Moines, IA 50315
- Phone: 515-277-6969 & press 5 for ‘warehouse’
- Hours: Monday – Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m
Please use the East entrance/donation doors located off Chaffee Rd.
Red barrel Program
Have you noticed one of these red barrels in the grocery store where you shop? Contributing to the Red Barrel Program is as easy as buying a few extra cans of food while you shop and dropping them in on your way out of the store. All food and personal care items collected by the Red Barrel Program goes to the DMARC Food Pantry Network.
What Can I Donate?
Donations that go the farthest include non-perishables, fresh and frozen food items, and non-food items such as formula, baby food, and personal hygiene products. Learn more about our most-needed items.
Donating Fresh Produce
We accept produce donations year-round from everyone from large retailers and farms to your backyard raised beds.
More Information
DMARC partner food pantries and the food pantry warehouse follow the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act to protect you, the receiving agency and our clients.
The federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. The Act was created to encourage the donation of food and grocery products to qualified non-profit organizations and provides liability protection to food donors.
The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act encourages the donation and distribution of wholesale food and protects donors such as restaurants, caterers, and grocers from any civil or criminal liabilities. This act allows them to donate their unused and leftover food to non-profit organizations, such as the DMARC Food Pantry Network. Under this act, donors may give food if the food is suitable for consumption, meaning its nature, age, packaging and condition is suitable to be consumed by those in need. In turn, DMARC is also free from any criminal or civil liability when the food is donated, knowing that is in a suitable condition to be consumed by those in need.
Retail stores interested in coordinating a donation pickup can reach out to our team:
- Call 515-277-6969 & press 5 for ‘warehouse’.
- If not an urgent request please contact us here.