3 results for month: 07/2015


Fresh Produce, Central Iowa and the Well-Being Index

On Tuesday, July 28, 2015, the United Way of Central Iowa hosted the Central Iowa Well-Being Forum at Des Moines University. The keynote speaker for the event was Dan Witters, Research Director for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Mr. Witters talked about how the Well-Being Index (WBI) is calculated, showed some national trends and regional examples, and then turned his focus to the Well-Being Index of the Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is comprised of five interrelated and interdependent elements: Overall, the State of Iowa is ranked 16th in the Well-Being Index. Iowa ranks in the ...

DMARC Food Pantry Network Responds to Explosive Growth

Cuts Food Given per Family by 25% The DMARC Food Pantry Network is announcing it has made changes to the amount of food clients are able to receive each month, effective August 1, 2015. Currently, individuals and families can receive a four-day supply of healthy food once a month. Beginning in August, however, this monthly allotment will be reduced to a three-day supply of food, a decrease of 25%. The reason for this reduction has to do with the large increase in the number of families and individuals seeking food assistance. June set new usage records, with the DMARC Food Pantry Network serving 5,652 families comprising 14,785 individuals. ...

June Sees Record Food Pantry Use

The numbers are in, and they are substantial. The DMARC Food Pantry Network served a total of 5,652 families, comprising 14,785 individuals, in the month of June 2015- new all-time record highs in both categories. This translates to respective increases of 27.0% and 21.3%, compared to the month of June 2014. In addition, DMARC served 424 families who said they have never had to use a food pantry before. What exactly is the cause of this huge increase in use for the DMARC Food Pantry Network? “The summer months are always a challenge for us – children are out of school and needing to eat at home while at the same time donors are out of ...