What a year 2024 has been… As many continue to struggle with the high cost of living and navigate the challenges that come with being a working family, your support is making a difference for over 75,000 people this year in our community!
Here are a few of the ways you made a difference…
#1. Introducing the DMARC-Ket ON THE GO
This mobile food pantry unit was crafted to best meet the needs of those who can’t easily make it to a physical food pantry. Guests are assisted at the window ‘food truck’ style and the custom shelving and more compact vehicle allows for us to go to places we could not before.
#2. Interfaith Youth Camp Alumnus grows to over 120
One of the largest Interfaith engagement efforts at DMARC is the Iowa Interfaith Youth Leadership Camp held every July. This partnership with the Comparison Project at Drake University invites High school students and recent graduates to learn from each other while representing a diverse array of religious and cultural traditions and communities. This summer welcomed the eighth cohort of students in a week of exploring each other’s beliefs and practices, site visits to local congregations, and creating a personal video narrative. View some of their video projects here.
#3. Surpassing the 500,000 meals mark for ‘Meals from the market’
The Downtown Des Moines Farmer’s Market provided 40,393 meals over the course of the 2024 season through Meals from the Market. This partnership between the market and DMARC has volunteers collect unsold produce and nonperishable food items to be donated to DMARC, helping to avoid waste and feed our neighbors. Since this partnership began in 2011, the partnership has now provided over 500,000 meals to help support the DMARC Food Pantry Network.
#4. Giving your time (over 80k hours of it)
As the need has grown, our community is stepping up and nothing showcases that better than your volunteerism. In the last fiscal year (July 2023-June 2024) Over 2,588 unique volunteers gave their time across the Food Pantry Network. Their efforts generated 82,245 volunteer hours. This is the equivalent of $2,754,385 or adding roughly 39 Full-time staff.
#5. You Raised Over $250,000 of support in just a few weeks!
This community continues to amaze us. We are so grateful that in this moment of unmatched need, you answered our call and provided an unmatched level of support. We met our anonymous donor’s challenge to raise $250,000 with over three weeks remaining in the year. In fact, $320,200+ was raised by our incredible community since the announcement of the challenge.
These gifts have unlocked the full potential of the match and inspired another matching gift challenge of $150,000 thanks to the Ernest and Florence Sargent Family Foundation that ends on December 31, 2024.
#6. You helped feed over 75,000 individuals in the Des Moines Metro
Another record year… It takes a tremendous effort from volunteers, donors, and our partners to make sure everyone who seeks out help in our community gets it. Your efforts are now helping to provide food assistance for 1 in 4 people living in the city of Des Moines.
Don’t forget: 2x your impact until the end of the year
The generosity of the community continues to amaze as DMARC has received a second challenge match of $150,000. All gifts made until (or postmarked before) December 31, 2024 go to support this matching gift challenge. DMARC is grateful to the Ernest and Florence Sargent Family Foundation for their support.
