DMARC Launches New Mobile Food Pantry Site at Merle Hay Mall

DMARC is launching a new mobile food pantry site at Merle Hay Mall, starting Tuesday, August 3. The mobile food pantry will be on-location at the Merle Hay Applebee’s south parking lot every Tuesday evening from 4:00-6:00pm in conjunction with Applebee’s “Together We Care Tuesdays.” This new mobile food pantry site is the result of a collaboration between DMARC, the City of Des Moines, Merle Hay Mall, Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART), and Merle Hay Road Applebee’s.

“DMARC is grateful for the collaborative effort between numerous partners that made this possible,” said DMARC CEO Matt Unger. “We are excited to expand the reach of our Food Pantry Network through this new mobile food pantry site at Merle Hay Mall.”

“This is a wonderful example of a collaborative effort coming together to address an essential need in our community,” said Des Moines City Councilwoman Connie Boesen. “I want to thank DMARC, Liz Holland with Merle Hay Mall and our Neighborhood Services Department for making this happen. Through their efforts we found the funds, secured a great location and came up with an efficient and safe delivery system to get food in the hands of those in our community who might need a little help right now.”

“Merle Hay Mall has been blessed to be part of the Greater Des Moines community for the last 62 years. In looking forward to the next 62 years we believe it is critically important to provide assistance to everyone who needs it,” said Liz Holland, Merle Hay Mall CEO. “We are happy our central location makes it easier for DMARC to do their outreach.”

“We’re pleased to expand our partnership with DMARC to further enhance access to essential services for central Iowans,” said DART CEO Elizabeth Presutti. “Merle Hay Mall is one of the busiest bus stops in our transit network, serving as a transfer point for four key Local Routes, which makes it an ideal location for a mobile pantry site.”

“We are grateful to be part of the Merle Hay neighborhood, and always willing to help those in need,” said Merle Hay Road Applebee’s General Manager Jeremiah Hamilton. “Allowing the food pantry to be in our parking lot is just one more way we can give back.”

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