21-Day Equity Challenge Reflection: Amy Becker
by Amy Becker, Team Pastor, Ashworth Church
I’m grateful for the gift of United Way’s 21 Day Equity Challenge. As a pastor, a leader for college ministries around the state of Iowa, as a neighbor, and a mom, the Equity Challenge has given me tools, resources, facts and figures, and stories to share in each of these places.
More importantly it’s given me eyes to see again that segregation is not a thing of the past, as I go for an evening walk in my neighborhood just blocks away from Center street—once the beloved thriving Black business district in Des ...
21-Day Equity Challenge Reflection: Luke Elzinga
by Luke Elzinga, Communications & Advocacy Manager, DMARC
Three years ago, my partner and I became homeowners, thanks in large part to an FHA first-time homebuyer loan. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a homeowner before the age of 30 - but it's not luck that has led me to this point.
Our home on the south side of Des Moines lies in the C-4 section on the Des Moines Redlining Map, which gave it a rating of "Fair" when the map was created in the late 1930's. It was a working class neighborhood then and remains so to this day. Our home is nearly 100 years old, meaning ...
21-Day Equity Challenge Reflection: Matt Durham
by Matt Durham, President, DMARC
When setting sail on the 21-Day Equity Challenge I was very much looking forward to the content but didn’t know what to fully expect. Over the past couple months, I, like much of the United States, put some intent around educating myself more, reading more, and talking more about racism. As I peeled back the layers of internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and systemic racism it was eye-opening that there was both things I could be better at – and there were surely ways that we as a community could be better. All that being said ...
DMARC Receives $500,000 from Prairie Meadows
On Wednesday, September 23, Prairie Meadows announced a $500,000 contribution to the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC), along with a $1 million contribution to the United Way of Central Iowa and a $500,000 contribution to the Food Bank of Iowa.
"DMARC is honored to receive this incredibly generous contribution from Prairie Meadows," said DMARC CEO Matt Unger. "These funds could not come at a better time, as many in our community are struggling with food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn, and Derecho."
The $2 million in total contrib...
DMARC and DMPS partnering to provide mobile food pantries at schools
The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network and Des Moines Public Schools have expanded their partnership to provide mobile food pantries at additional DMPS school locations.
“The COVID-19 spread in Iowa and resulting economic downturn have left many families without enough to get by,” said Amanda Miller, DMPS Director of Food and Nutrition. “DMARC has been a steadfast partner throughout the years and once again is stepping forward to help keep nutritious food on the table in thousands of homes.”
Mobile food pantry sites have been added ...
Iowa Total Care partnership with DMARC has helped thousands meet basic human needs in Greater Des Moines
This Friday, August 14, Iowa Total Care will be on-site at a free produce giveaway hosted by the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) and Capital City Fruit from 10am-1pm at the Southridge Mall parking lot. Iowa Total Care will be distributing kids activity booklets and information about their services. This outreach effort is just the latest in an ongoing partnership between DMARC and Iowa Total Care.
“DMARC is so appreciative of the support we have received from Iowa Total Care,” said Leslie Garman, DMARC Director of Development & Outreach. “With their ...
DMARC and Capital City Fruit to Provide USDA Produce Boxes
Update (6/22/2020): DMARC and Capital City Fruit are excited to announce that produce boxes will continue to be distributed through the DMARC Food Pantry Network through August, and more free public giveaways have been scheduled for the following Fridays: June 19 & 26; July 10, 17, 24 & 31; August 14 & 28.
For the next five weeks, the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network will be distributing boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables from Capital City Fruit through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program.
The produce boxes will be distribu...
DMARC Sees More of the New, Less of the Same at Food Pantries in April
In April, the DMARC Food Pantry Network assisted 12,091 unique individuals, with nearly 1,500 of those people using a DMARC food pantry for the first time ever. DMARC mobile food pantries assisted over 2,000 individuals with another 10,000 individuals assisted through DMARC’s network of partner pantries.
Despite increases in first-time food pantry users and visitors to mobile food pantry locations, DMARC saw just two-thirds the amount of people visit food pantries than do in a typical month. Nearly 4,000 people used a DMARC food pantry in January, February, and ...
DMARC Launches Food Pantry Delivery Service
The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network is launching a food pantry delivery service to meet the needs of people experiencing food insecurity in Greater Des Moines at this time.
If a person is unable to obtain food by either visiting a food pantry location or by using a proxy to pick up food for them, they may call to request a delivery. DMARC is asking that only those with health, transportation, or other mitigating circumstances use this service.
People can call 1-833-DMARC-20 (1-833-362-7220) toll-free to request a delivery. This number ...
Matt Unger on “A Deeper Dive” Podcast
DMARC CEO Matt Unger was recently interviewed by Anne Discher of Child and Family Policy Center for their podcast "A Deeper Dive" to discuss how COVID-19 is impacting people living with food insecurity in our state. Give it a listen below!
