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 Vierling, Vice President at Orchard Place – PACE Center.

With the addition of Orchard Place – PACE, the DMARC mobile food pantry now visits 22 locations across Greater Des Moines.

“I’m very excited to partner with Orchard Place to provide this food assistance for their PACE families,” said Matt Unger, DMARC CEO. “Orchard Place holds a special place in my heart as the home of my first job out of college. And a partnership like this one helps us meet folks where they already are. With gas prices being as high as they are right now, if we can help a family make one less trip that helps them quite a bit too.”

“By providing a DMARC mobile food pantry twice per month at PACE, parents will be able to get essential food for their families at the same time they pick up their children from summer programming,” said Vierling. “This accessibility is such a gift. We are very grateful to DMARC for making this happen.”

The DMARC Food Pantry Network experienced a 40% increase in April, a 60% increase in May, and a 64% increase in June, compared to the same months in 2021. This comes as a result of the loss of additional pandemic SNAP benefits in April, as well as rising food and fuel prices. So far in 2022, over 6,000 people have used a DMARC food pantry for the first time ever.

To find the food pantry or mobile food pantry site nearest you, please visit dmarcunited.org/food/find-a-pantry, or call (515) 277-6969 ext. 292.