6th Annual Douglas M. Woods Challenge Hunger Campaign
This article originally appeared in the Feb/Mar/Apr 2018 issue of The Voice.
DMARC is excited to announce that loyal contributor Doug Woods has doubled his annual “Challenge Hunger” match from $10,000 to $20,000!
For retired West Des Moines police officer Doug Woods, the convergence of “The Grapes of Wrath,” a primitive southern Iowa home, and a Bible verse led to his self-described “spiritual awakening”—and, soon after, the launch of the first Douglas M. Woods Hunger Challenge to benefit the DMARC Food Pantry Network.
Doug was a picky eater as a child, and his father often reminded him of children in Europe and others who were not getting enough to eat. To emphasize the point, his dad gathered up several bags of groceries and drove with Doug to deliver food to relatives in a primitive Iowa home with little furniture, bare floors and a wood stove for heat. It was an image he never forgot.
Doug said his reading of John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath”, set during the Great Depression with its vivid portrayal of “people dying of malnutrition every day—in this country”, increased his awareness of hunger.
And, it was a reading of Bible scripture while attending New Hope Assembly of God Church in Urbandale, that spoke to him of “giving to the poor and needy”, and that guided him in his call to service through DMARC.
With the recognition that cash could help DMARC buy more food than he could buy at retail price and donate, Doug began to make monetary donations. But, he felt called to something bigger—to do something more.
The rest is both history and a future in the making, as DMARC announces the sixth year of the Douglas M. Woods Challenge Hunger Campaign. Thank you, Doug!
From March 1 through April 30, 2018, donations to DMARC will be matched dollar for dollar, up to a total of $20,000 given. Your $10 becomes $20, $50 equals $100, and so on. During this year’s Challenge, your $10 gift will help DMARC provide 35 meals.
Hey congregations! You can download a bulletin insert below (two to a page) to use to promote the Challenge with your members!
Bulletin Insert Download