DMARC Hosts Downtown Chamber Lunch, Learn, and Volunteer

DMARC and the Des Moines Downtown Chamber hosted a Lunch, Learn, and Volunteer event on Tuesday, December 9, 2014. Guests were served lunch by Lambert & Ewers while they listened to DMARC Food Pantry Network Director Rebecca Whitlow talk about DMARC’s programs and services. This was the first Lunch, Learn, and Volunteer put on by the Downtown Chamber.

“Lunch, Learn, and Volunteer was created as a response to the fact that we have a large number of nonprofit organizations among our Downtown Chamber members, and each have a great story to tell,” said Jennifer Chittenden, Executive Director of the Des Moines Downtown Chamber. “Through this event, we were able to create a fun and social environment for our members to learn about DMARC and the excellent work they are doing in our community, as well as provide an altruistic outlet for the attendees in the middle of their busy day.”

After lunch, the group was given a tour of the Food Pantry Network warehouse, and then volunteered by sorting and date-checking food donations. The group volunteered for an hour, but some participants stayed even longer to finish up sorting an entire bin of donations!

“We discovered that the combination of learning and hands-on volunteering made the event more meaningful for the attendees, and that they hold a deeper understanding of DMARC and its purpose,” said Chittenden. “In fact, some attendees have gone back to volunteer again, or have made plans to volunteer with friends and family. We look forward to featuring more nonprofit Downtown Chamber members this next year via Lunch, Learn, and Volunteer events.”

Thank you to all who participated in the Lunch, Learn, and Volunteer event, and thank you to the Des Moines Downtown Chamber for organizing it!

Photos by William J. Gentsch and Luke Elzinga.