5 results for month: 03/2023

DMARC Statement on International Transgender Day of Visibility

At DMARC, we have a mission of working together to meet basic human needs for the greater Des Moines community – and that includes everyone. We lift up and support our LGBTQ+ community and recognize the unique hardships faced by the queer community in meeting their basic human needs. Today on International Transgender Day of Visibility we would like to reaffirm our commitment to welcoming all that are seeking assistance, without any proselytization, or judgement. As members of the transgendered community are being targeted across our state and country we feel compelled to reaffirm to the members of the LGBTQ+ Community that we see you and ...

Join DMARC for Sundays at the Ballpark

Take me out to the ball game! A special partnership with the Iowa Cubs allows baseball fans free admission to any Sunday home game (approx. 1 p.m. start time) with the donation of three food items to the DMARC Food Pantry. Donations can be made at the DMARC booth at Gate B. Games run from April through September and volunteers are needed to help at the booth.   About DMARC: The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) is an interfaith organization whose mission is to work together to meet basic human needs of the greater Des Moines community. Perhaps its most recognizable contribution to the community is the DMARC Food Pantry ...

Statement by DMARC on the passage of Senate File 494

As expected, yesterday the Iowa Senate passed Senate File 494 along party lines. The fight around the supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is not a new one, but somehow the dialogue around public assistance never changes. Elected officials claim their job is to ensure tax dollars are being responsibly allocated around public assistance in our state. At a time when Iowa is consolidating and streamlining government, the sticker shock of this bill alone should be enough to walk away from the table. Is 2.8 million dollars and 200 new full time state employees responsible? In other cases, Iowa requires far less of people who receive ...

Revised SNAP Bills Still Threaten Food Security in Iowa

Last week, House File 3 and Senate Study Bill 1105 both came before their respective House and Senate Health and Human Services Committees. Both passed out of committee with amendment as expected. The Senate bill passed along a party-line vote, and in the House, two Republicans (Rep. Eddie Andrews and Rep. Brian Lohse) voted against the bill along with all Democrats on the committee. HF 3 has been renumbered as House File 613, and SSB 1105 has been renumbered as Senate File 494. These newly-amended bills did make some improvements to the original bill language, but would still put Iowans at risk of losing their SNAP benefits due to new eligibility ...

Spotlight: DART Central Station Mobile Food Pantry

STORY BY JOE DOLACK, OPERATIONS MANAGER Transportation has long been a barrier for people looking to access a food pantry. Learning to meet that need sparked an idea and partnership between Des Moines Area Regional Transit (DART) and DMARC. Since 2018, the mobile pantry site at DART Central station has operated every Thursday and has become one of the most utilized mobile sites that DMARC operates. Being downtown or along a dedicated route to larger employers helps us reach folks who may not otherwise find a pantry site. This location provides food assistance to a higher percentage of those that are unhoused for the Monthly Core Supply and ...