DMARC Receives Over 10,000 Diapers in UnityPoint Health Systems Campaign

In the Iowa Health Systems 2-month-long Diaper-A-Day Campaign, the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) has received the equivalent of 10,000 diapers, breaking last year’s total by 5,000! The diapers will help about 3,000 low-income families with toddlers and babies ages 24-months and younger. While safety-net programs such as SNAP (food assistance) and WIC (women, infants, and children) assist with the cost of formula and baby food, neither program covers necessities such as diapers and wipes. “Many of the young families receiving food assistance through ...

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Iowa Farmers Cultivate Hope and Help Through Gifts of Grain and Produce

By Kristine Frakes, DMARC Development Director This is a season when emerald fields of soybeans and corn blanket the rural Iowa landscape as far as the eye can see. It is also a time of high need for food assistance across central Iowa communities. Family budgets are stretched with summer child care costs and back-to-school clothing and supply demands. Yearly help for energy assistance has long since expired. Many health-impaired seniors will soon approach the “donut-hole” period of the year for medical care assistance, and struggle with the burden of added ...

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“Ordinary Man” Extends Local Challenge, Increases Matching Gift to Benefit DMARC Food Pantry Network

Through a local “Challenge Hunger” campaign, self-proclaimed “ordinary man” Douglas M. Woods will provide 50 cents for every dollar donated to the Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry Network from now through May 31, up to the first $25,000 in donations. This challenge gift comes during a season when donations to the food pantry are historically low. Yet, the need for food assistance by families who struggle to make ends meet continues year-round. “We are so grateful for Doug’s generosity,” said DMARC development director, Kristine Frakes. ...

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