Three Questions to Ask Candidates Running for Office
As Iowans, we have some unique opportunities to engage and interact with candidates running for a number of elected offices, including presidential candidates visiting the state ahead of the Iowa caucuses in February 2020.
DMARC has prepared a list below of three questions that you can ask candidates running for office. The following questions are framed toward those running for a federal office, but can be slightly changed depending on who you are asking the question of (ex. "What is your plan to eliminate poverty in the state of Iowa?").
Will you commit to protec...
DMARC Awarded Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grant
The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network recently received a Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grant of $10,000. The grant will allow DMARC to provide the equivalent of 20,000 nutritious meals for central Iowans living with food insecurity.
The grant will ensure that pantry visitors have access to fruits, vegetables, frozen meats, low-fat, low-sodium, low-sugar and other healthy foods. DMARC thanks Prairie Meadows for their continued partnership in the fight against food insecurity in Greater Des Moines.
DMARC Names Matt Unger as CEO
The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Board of Directors has named Matt Unger as the new CEO of DMARC.
Matt Unger recently completed a 6+ year stretch at the Food Bank of Iowa. Starting as Program Manager and finishing as Chief Operating Officer, Unger led the Food Bank of Iowa to record distribution. His leadership at Food Bank of Iowa also included the implementation of three new programs, a merger with the Food Bank of Southern Iowa, and oversight of the Food Bank’s warehouse remodel. Prior to joining the nonprofit sector, Unger spent more than a dozen ...
Life Happens
Life happens. You've probably heard that phrase a thousand times. But for many who are assisted by DMARC's Food Pantry Network, it can mean so much more.
Meet "Maria" and "Lisa." Maria is Lisa's aunt. She's also a disabled veteran who is Lisa's sole guardian. Both Lisa and Maria have lived in Des Moines for most of their lives.
Lisa is now a young teenager. Unfortunately, both of her parents have passed away. She has also lost vision in one eye, with the other eye losing sight as well. Today, Maria serves as Lisa's primary caregiver. Until a year ago she also served ...
Thank You for Your Support of Stamp Out Hunger® 2019
On Saturday, May 11, 2019, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) held their 27th annual Stamp Out Hunger® food drive across the nation, and for the fourth year, the DMARC Food Pantry Network was the local beneficiary of the food drive in Greater Des Moines.
That Saturday, letter carriers around the metro collected food donations from mailboxes, doorsteps, and grocery stores which were brought back to their local post offices, and then transported to the East Grandstands’ Hall of Law and Flame at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
All together, 66,055 ...
Announcing the Retirement of Sarai Rice
After 11 years of serving as Executive Director of the Des Moines Area Religious Council, I want to let you know that I will be retiring this summer. An open search for the next Executive Director of DMARC will begin immediately, with a new Executive Director selected by our Board of Directors by the end of June.
I am proud to say that, with your support, DMARC has made great progress the past 11 years in providing healthy food and fresh produce to people living with food insecurity in our community. When I began in 2008, the Board of Directors had already initiated the ...
Statement on Shooting at Chabad of Poway Synagogue
DMARC stands in solidarity with the Jewish community in California, Greater Des Moines, and across the world in mourning the attack on the Chabad of Poway Synagogue. Yet again, deadly violence has been perpetrated against a Jewish community and place of worship on Shabbat.
We call on our supporters, member congregations, and community leaders to take a firm stance against antisemitism, white nationalism, xenophobia, other hateful philosophies, and the people who spread them. This terrible act was committed on the last day of the festival of Passover—a time of rememb...
DMARC Statement on Sri Lanka Attacks
We are profoundly disturbed and saddened by the attacks in Sri Lanka today that targeted multiple Christian Churches on the day of their Easter celebrations. We stand in solidarity with the Christian community of Sri Lanka and around the world in grieving the lives lost. Once again, we are devastated by the violation of worship spaces and sacred days to commit acts of violence against religious communities.
We call on our supporters and community to speak out against religious hatred in all forms. It is our shared responsibility to create a community in which all ...
DUWIB Hosts Period Product Drive for DMARC
Last fall, Drake University Women In Business (DUWIB) was looking for a service project that would give back to women in Greater Des Moines. After a bit of research, the student organization came across the idea of hosting a tampon and pad drive, and decided it was a perfect fit. Recognizing that one in four menstruating people do not have access to period products due to a lack of income, the group coordinated with DMARC and held a drive for period products at the student center on campus.
"Something as natural as a period should not be holding people back from their ...
DMARC and Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa Unveil ‘Refuel Station’
On Tuesday, April 2, DMARC and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa (BGCCI) unveiled the Refuel Station, a new mobile food pantry, which is to be used initially at local Boys & Girls Clubs locations.
Joe Dolack, the mobile food pantry program manager for DMARC, Jodie Warth, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa CEO, and Mitch Wasden, Iowa Total Care CEO, all gave remarks at the event. The pantry is to provide Boys & Girls Clubs families with healthy, kid-friendly, grab-and-go food items.
“Thanks everybody who has helped put this together,” Dolack said, “We ...
