DMARC-ket Southside Food Pantry Now Open
DMARC has opened a food pantry on-site at its headquarters, 100 Army Post Road, Des Moines, IA 50315. The new food pantry, named the DMARC-ket Southside Food Pantry, becomes the 15th partner food pantry in the DMARC Food Pantry Network, and the first brick-and-mortar food pantry that DMARC will staff and operate as an organization.
“We are so excited to announce the opening of the DMARC-ket Southside Food Pantry,” said DMARC CEO Matt Unger. “The new food pantry is right on a main bus line and fills a gap in our service area, with the next closest DMARC partner ...
DMARC Food Pantry Network Breaks August Record
The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network assisted 20,203 people in August 2022, a new record for the month, and an 86% increase over August 2021. Nearly 2,000 people used a DMARC food pantry for the first time ever, one of the highest numbers of new individuals in a single month for DMARC.
In August, nearly 2,000 people used a DMARC food pantry for the first time ever.
Emergency Allotments for SNAP ended in Iowa in April and the average monthly SNAP benefits for households dropped by more than $200.
“Emergency Allotments for SNAP ended ...
DMARC Partners with DoorDash to Expand No-Contact Food Pantry Delivery Service
by Joe Dolack, Operations Manager
DMARC's no-contact home delivery program was fast-tracked out of necessity. With the onset of COVID-19, we needed to adjust our model to meet community members where they were — and a large part of the vulnerable population that we assist were being asked to stay home. We had community health partners asking for food assistance for people needing to quarantine. And even prior to the pandemic, many members of the community had transportation barriers that made it difficult to visit food pantry locations.
The delivery program was ...
Portrait of a Food Pantry Visitor: Data, Demographics, and Disparities
Today, DMARC is releasing a new report, Portrait of a Food Pantry Visitor: Data, Demographics, and Disparities. This report aims to highlight current disparities among food pantry visitors related to race and ethnicity, gender, and age. It is our hope that this report will inform the public and policy makers about these disparities, why they exist, and potential ways we can remedy them in our community, as it is critical to understand the ways in which previous inequitable policies influence, and often negatively impact, people's current realities today.
Executive ...
Volunteer Spotlight: Rosemary Thierer
As an effort to better acknowledge all the hard work our dedicated volunteers put in to help us meet our mission, DMARC is spotlighting their hard work!
This month, we're recognizing Rosemary Thierer for her outstanding work as one of our most active volunteers. Thank you for all you do for DMARC, Rosie!
Why do you volunteer with DMARC?
When I give away my time I want it to be with an organization that is well run, lives by their mission and makes a positive impact in the community. I believe DMARC does all of those things so it makes it easy to give them some of my ...
DMARC Mobile Food Pantry Launches at Orchard Place – PACE
The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) is launching a new mobile food pantry location at Orchard Place – PACE on Monday, July 18. The DMARC mobile food pantry will be on location at Orchard Place – PACE, 620 8th Street in downtown Des Moines, every first and third Monday of the month from 2:00-3:30pm.
“Our home- and community-based programs serve 3,000 children and families per year, many of whom receive Medicaid. Our providers witness the scarcity of food in homes and the parental fears of if or how they’ll feed their family each night,” said Sonni ...
Statement on the Shooting at Cornerstone Church of Ames
Last night, a gunman killed two young women in the parking lot of Cornerstone Church in Ames before taking his own life. We are saddened and outraged to see yet another instance of people being killed at their sacred place of worship. DMARC stands in solidarity with the families and friends of those killed, Cornerstone Church, the student body of Iowa State University, and the Ames community and we mourn the loss of those killed.
Yesterday’s tragic act of violence follows a multitude of shootings in recent weeks. On Wednesday, four people were killed by a gunman at a ...
DMARC Launches Data Visualization Dashboard for the Public
DMARC has launched a publicly-accessible data visualization dashboard for its Food Pantry Network. The data visualization dashboard is now live and can be accessed at data.dmarcunited.org.
DMARC has been utilizing an internal data visualization dashboard since 2017, but the dashboard has been housed on a limited number of DMARC computers due to privacy concerns. The new public-facing dashboard aims to provide similar data in a way that protects the privacy of people who use the Food Pantry Network.
“DMARC’s data visualization dashboard paints a stark picture ...
DMARC Holds Second Storytellers Roundtable on Hunger and Food Insecurity
DMARC held its second Storytellers Roundtable on Hunger and Food Insecurity on Saturday, February 26, at Central Library in downtown Des Moines. 10 participants joined DMARC to share about their own experiences with hunger and food insecurity.
Some common themes and beliefs that were shared by the group included:
Many people have medical reasons that keep them from working, either mental or physical, both acquired and innate. Some participants expressed that they wish they could work, but can't.
A general sense of despair, feeling looked down on, exploited, ...
Attacks on Public Assistance Programs are Offensive and Wrong
By Matt Unger, Chief Executive Officer, DMARC
For 70 years, the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) has been bringing people together from across the religious spectrum to meet basic human needs for Greater Des Moines. One thing that people of all faith backgrounds can agree on is the need to feed our neighbors who are facing hunger and food insecurity. The DMARC Food Pantry Network assists tens of thousands of people in our community with healthy food, and we know our work is most effective when paired with strong state and federal programs.
Additional ...
