DMARC Distributes 6,000 Thanksgiving Meals Donated by Hy-Vee
The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network distributed 6,000 Thanksgiving meals that were donated by Hy-Vee, Inc. On November 19, Des Moines area Hy-Vee employees packed 1,500 Thanksgiving meal packages, each containing enough food for a Thanksgiving meal for four.
“The Des Moines area Hy-Vee stores are happy to make a donation of 6,000 meals to DMARC,” said Katie Popp, Regional Marketing Manager for Hy-Vee. “We know that this has been an especially difficult year for many across central Iowa and we wanted to ensure that more families can ...
Iowa Pork Producers Support DMARC through “Running with the Pigskins”
The "big game" between Iowa and Iowa State is one of the biggest Iowa – and DMARC traditions! As part of the fun each year, Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) encourages groups and organizations to host competitive food and fund drives in honor of the game, using the friendly rivalry as a fun way to support a great cause.
But with this year’s game cancellation, DMARC sought a different way to have fun and raise funds through a new event – “Running with the Pigskins."
Together with DMARC’s long-time partner, the Des Moines Public Schools agricultural ...
21-Day Equity Challenge Reflection: Andrea Cook
by Andrea Cook, Program Director, Johnston Partnership Place
When United Way of Central Iowa announced the 21-Day Equity Challenge, I did all the things a non-profit program director should: emailed the information out to my Board members, staff and volunteers, signed up myself, fielded the questions that inevitably arose. But I was nervous. My daily work brings me face-to-face with people from many walks of life. I can guarantee I have not handled every situation correctly, but just how much was I going to dislike the reflection in the mirror I would see over this ...
Pandemic Forces Historic Sherman Hill to Go Virtual for 2020 Halloween on the Hill
Since its inception in 2010, Halloween on the Hill has grown to become Des Moines’s premier Halloween event. For a decade, residents of the historic Sherman Hill neighborhood have gone all out to decorate their homes with spooky scenes while also collecting food items for the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network. Like so many events we all love, it is sadly not safe to invite thousands of friends this year.
However, the need to help those who face food insecurity in our community has never been more important. At the core of Halloween on the ...
21-Day Equity Challenge Reflection: Amy Becker
by Amy Becker, Team Pastor, Ashworth Church
I’m grateful for the gift of United Way’s 21 Day Equity Challenge. As a pastor, a leader for college ministries around the state of Iowa, as a neighbor, and a mom, the Equity Challenge has given me tools, resources, facts and figures, and stories to share in each of these places.
More importantly it’s given me eyes to see again that segregation is not a thing of the past, as I go for an evening walk in my neighborhood just blocks away from Center street—once the beloved thriving Black business district in Des ...
21-Day Equity Challenge Reflection: Luke Elzinga
by Luke Elzinga, Communications & Advocacy Manager, DMARC
Three years ago, my partner and I became homeowners, thanks in large part to an FHA first-time homebuyer loan. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a homeowner before the age of 30 - but it's not luck that has led me to this point.
Our home on the south side of Des Moines lies in the C-4 section on the Des Moines Redlining Map, which gave it a rating of "Fair" when the map was created in the late 1930's. It was a working class neighborhood then and remains so to this day. Our home is nearly 100 years old, meaning ...
21-Day Equity Challenge Reflection: Matt Durham
by Matt Durham, President, DMARC
When setting sail on the 21-Day Equity Challenge I was very much looking forward to the content but didn’t know what to fully expect. Over the past couple months, I, like much of the United States, put some intent around educating myself more, reading more, and talking more about racism. As I peeled back the layers of internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and systemic racism it was eye-opening that there was both things I could be better at – and there were surely ways that we as a community could be better. All that being said ...
DMARC Receives $500,000 from Prairie Meadows
On Wednesday, September 23, Prairie Meadows announced a $500,000 contribution to the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC), along with a $1 million contribution to the United Way of Central Iowa and a $500,000 contribution to the Food Bank of Iowa.
"DMARC is honored to receive this incredibly generous contribution from Prairie Meadows," said DMARC CEO Matt Unger. "These funds could not come at a better time, as many in our community are struggling with food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn, and Derecho."
The $2 million in total contrib...
DMARC and DMPS partnering to provide mobile food pantries at schools
The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network and Des Moines Public Schools have expanded their partnership to provide mobile food pantries at additional DMPS school locations.
“The COVID-19 spread in Iowa and resulting economic downturn have left many families without enough to get by,” said Amanda Miller, DMPS Director of Food and Nutrition. “DMARC has been a steadfast partner throughout the years and once again is stepping forward to help keep nutritious food on the table in thousands of homes.”
Mobile food pantry sites have been added ...
Iowa Total Care partnership with DMARC has helped thousands meet basic human needs in Greater Des Moines
This Friday, August 14, Iowa Total Care will be on-site at a free produce giveaway hosted by the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) and Capital City Fruit from 10am-1pm at the Southridge Mall parking lot. Iowa Total Care will be distributing kids activity booklets and information about their services. This outreach effort is just the latest in an ongoing partnership between DMARC and Iowa Total Care.
“DMARC is so appreciative of the support we have received from Iowa Total Care,” said Leslie Garman, DMARC Director of Development & Outreach. “With their ...
