Featured News

Reggie's Sleep Out -- CALL TO ACTION

03 Sep 10

Reggie's Sleep Out

October 16, 2010

Drake Stadium

www.reggiessleepout.org

 

CALL TO ACTION--Post a yard sign or a poster to help promote this event. As you can see, the artwork is simply gorgeous. To pick up a yard sign or poster, stop in during regular business hours to the DMARC central office, 3816 36th Street, Des Moines; or stop in to Iowa Homeless Youth Centers Buchanan House, 1219 Buchanan St., Des Moines.

 

Reggie's Sleepout honors the memory of Reggie Kelsey, a young man who aged out of foster care, experienced homelessness, and whose body was pulled form the Des Moines River three months later.

 

Here is a special message from Michele Griswold, Honorary Chair 2010 Reggie's Sleepout.

 

Register or donate at www.reggiessleepout.org.

 

Proceeds to benefit DMARC and its partner, Iowa Homeless Youth Centers.

 

 

 

Sunday! DMARC at the I-Cubs

03 Sep 10

Let’s Play Ball! 

 

We are deeply grateful that The Iowa Cubs once once again supported the DMARC Emergency Food Pantry this season. 

 

It's been a wonderful summer of I-Cubs baseball and there is still one game to go in the Iowa Cubs / DMARC partnership, Sunday, September 5. So far, this collaboration has resulted in more than 2,500 food items collected for the DMARC Emergency Food Pantry network.

 

How does it work? Fans can bring a donation of three food items to any Sunday home game and receive a free—FREE!—general admission ticket, which can be upgraded to reserved grandstand status for $3.00. Qualifying games begin at 1:05 pm. Home games are played at the gorgeous Principal Park. For a listing of most needed food items, click here.

 

The dates:

 

April 11 vs. Nashville - 587 food items collected

April 25 vs. Round Rock - 104 food items collected

May 2 vs. Fresno Omaha - 376 food items collected

May 9 vs. Oklahoma - 182 food items collected 

May 23 vs. Colorado - 364 food items collected

June 6 vs. New Orleans - 770 food items collected

June 20 vs. Albuquerque - 214 food items collected

July 11 vs. New Orleans - 236 food items collected

August 8 vs. Portland

August 22 vs. Nashville - 178 food items collected

September 5 vs. Memphis

 

Thank you, I-Cubs and I-Cubs fans, for helping DMARC get emergency food to the people and families who need it.

 

See you at the ballgame!

Update -- Johnston Food Pantry

03 Sep 10

**UPDATE, as of September 3, 2010--The Johnston Food Pantry is temporarily closed. Until further notice, people in the Johnston school district may get free, nutritious, emergency food at the Urbandale Food Pantry, the Ankeny Food Pantry, or the CROSS Ministries/Cottage Grove Food Pantry. Click here for locations and phone numbers. Or call the DMARC central office at 515-677-6969.
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Generosity in Greater Des Moines just keeps growing.

We are pleased to announce the opening of the Johnston Food Pantry at the Crown Point Community Center, 6300 Pioneer Parkway, in Johnston. Emergency food services began on July 6, 2010,  to people living within the Johnston public school district. The hours are Tuesdays, 4-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-3 p.m.

 

Click here for a photo gallery of the new food pantry, with thanks to the Des Moines Register.

 

The Johnston Food Pantry is recruiting volunteers and if you can help, please contact Shawna Beron, Volunteer Coordinator, 515.868.1357, shawnaberon@gmail.com

 

The Johnston Food Pantry is one of 11 distribution centers, partnering with the DMARC Emergency Food Pantry network. In 2009, the DMARC network served almost 12,000 families in metro Des Moines. To get help, find out which food pantry location is closest to your home by calling DMARC 515-277-6969.

Do you hear the call?

30 Aug 10

 

Calling all potential volunteers! We need you Saturday mornings.

 

As you may know, DMARC benefits greatly from donations of fresh produce courtesy of vendors with the Des Moines Downtown Farmers’ Market. This is due to the hard work from volunteers with the Meals from the Market Program who help to gather up the donated items from market vendors at the end of the morning. The Meals from the Market Program is sponsored by First Federal Iowa.

 

Meals from the Market is asking for more willing volunteers to help on Saturday mornings, from about 11:30-12:30 a.m. Any help you can provide would be much appreciated. Volunteers can either sign-up through the Farmers Market website or you can talk with DMARC Food Pantry Director, Elisabeth Ballstadt, foodpantry@dmreligious.org, 515-677-6969.

 

Three cheers for farmers, markets, and meals!

Colossal Cookie Sale--Print and Post New Flyer

27 Aug 10

 

What's your favorite cookie? Do you like chocolate chip or M&M? Sugar or peanut butter?  

May we suggest a dozen of each because these cookies are on a mission.

 

Get ready for the Hy-Vee Colossal Cookie Sale, September 14–27, 2010. Buy a bakery fresh Hy-Vee cookie for 10 cents per cookie and one penny from each cookie sold benefits DMARC.

 

Call or visit your neighborhood Hy-Vee bakery to pre-order now. Pre-order for the holidays. Pre-order for fellowship hours. Pre-order for school lunches. These delicious cookies are freezer friendly.

 

Last year 1.1 million cookies were sold. Can you do the math to figure out the benefit to DMARC’s mission? We are ever so grateful for Hy-Vee and the sweet taste of generosity.

 

Please print out this flyer and post in your congregation, business, or organization.

 

 

Want to Make A Difference?

25 Aug 10

 

 

Each October the DMARC Red Barrel Program celebrates National Make A Difference Day with multiple Sack Saturday events in grocery stores around the Des Moines Metro Area. Last year in 20 grocery stores, volunteers collected 4,745 food items and $4,671 to support the DMARC Emergency Food Pantry network. 

 

This year we will celebrate Make A Difference Day on October 2nd and October 9th. Volunteers are needed to work two hour shifts on either of those days. Volunteers greet shoppers and ask if they would be interested in purchasing food or giving a cash donation to help the DMARC Emergency Food Pantry.  

 

This is a terrific opportunity for youth groups, congregational groups, civic groups, work teams, friends, and families.

 

Interested in volunteering or learning more about this event?  Contact Cindy Morton at cmorton@dmrelgious.org or call 515-277-6969.

Question, Answer, Promise

22 Aug 10

 

Question: How many hours did DMARC volunteers log in 2009?

Answer: See back page of The Voice.

Promise: You will be impressed.

Hopefully, by now you have received your copy of the DMARC quarterly newsletter, The Voice, in your postal mail. We are pleased to now also provide it online. Click here for a pdf file of the entire newsletter. You may also click straight to the back story of the cover picture of the incredible Tucker Ruppert.

If you are not on our postal mailing list and would like to be, just send us an email with your postal mailing address and we’ll be glad to include you. The next issue comes out November.

Happy reading, cooking, and looking at all the colorful pictures of the beautiful DMARC community.

Looking for a Service Project?

13 Aug 10

 

We’ve got a great one for you!

 

Whether you are a youth group, men's group, church group, school group, family group, friend group, or a simply unique individual who wants to make a difference--we need you! Please save these dates: October 2^nd and October 9^th, 2010.

 

The DMARC Red Barrel Program will be observing national Make a Difference Days on two Saturdays, October 2 and 9. The goal this year is to hold Sack Saturday events in at least 20 stores. Last year proceeds from Make A Diffreence Days included the donations of 4,745 food donations and $4,617 in cash donations. New volunteers are always welcome.

 

Whether you are working in a store or transporting food to the warehouse, you will be making a difference.

 

To participate, contact Cindy Morton, DMARC Red Barrel Coordinator, tel: 515-277-6969 or email.

Gifts from Your Garden

09 Aug 10

We gratefully accept food donations straight from your garden. Yes, these donations are tax deductible as allowed. You may deliver fresh produce to the DMARC Emergency Food Pantry centralized warehouse, Monday-Thursdays, 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. The address is: 3816 36th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50310.

We appreciate donations of fruits and vegetables that are far before prime ripeness.

As of June 30, 2010, DMARC has provided over 38,000 pounds of fresh produce this year to 11 neighborhood pantry sites in our distribution network.

Yum!

Sincere thanks.

 

Tucker Ruppert: An Uncommon Boy

02 Aug 10

 

 

“Hey ladies, you wanna buy some of my tomatoes?”

 

It is hard to resist a cute little boy at a farmer’s market booth hawking vegetables, and this sales tactic worked well for Tucker Ruppert when he was a child. He has been tending a farmers’ market booth since he was two years old, working with his grandparents and parents.

 

“Believe it or not,” said Tucker, “I LOVE getting up at 3:45 in the morning, climbing in our old Suburban and driving to town to set up our booth.”

 

Now, an incoming senior at Roosevelt High School, Tucker Ruppert’s passion for selling home grown produce has blossomed into a unique project that directly benefits the DMARC food pantry network. Tucker designed and directs a program that picks up leftover produce from the Des Moines Downtown Farmers’ Market and redirects it to people in need of emergency food.

 

How does Tucker’s program work? At the end of the market day as vendors close down their booths, Tucker, his volunteer corps, and his fleet of wheelbarrows comb the lanes and ask for donations. If the vendor doesn’t have another market to sell their wares, they usually load their unsold products onto one of Tucker’s wheelbarrows for transport to the Meals from the Market program.

 

Meals from the Market, sponsored by First Federal Iowa, is an existing program of the Des Moines Downtown Farmers’ Market. It was created to channel unsold food to people in need. What Tucker’s program does is to increase donations to the already established Meals from the Market program by employing a pick up system, and thus called Meals from the Market “Pick Up Program.”

 

Tucker is a winner of a 2010 Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award. Also see his photo on the cover of the new August/September/October issue of the DMARC newsletter, The Voice.

 

This year, DMARC has provided well over 38,000 pounds of fresh produce to its emergency food pantry network for distribution to families who seek help, with thanks in part to Tucker Ruppert and his vision to increase fresh donations. DMARC is deeply grateful for all the partnerships that make this possible, including First Federal Iowa, Meals from the Market, and the Des Moines Downtown Farmers' Market.

 

The Des Moines Downtown Farmers’ Market runs through the end of October. DMARC always needs volunteers to help transport Tucker’s food to our warehouse cooler. If you can help, contact Elisabeth Ballstadt, DMARC Food Pantry Director, email: foodpantry@dmreligious.org, tel: 515-277-6969.

A Resource to Help Plan Your Food Drive

26 Jul 10

 

 

Here's a handy, printer-friendly pdf flyer to help you plan your next food drive.

 

Help the DMARC Emergency Food Pantry network feed the hungry in the Des Moines Metro area by holding a food drive in your congregation, your workplace, your club, or your home. In 2009, DMARC’s food pantries served 11,661 different families, totaling about 1.1 million food items given to people in need. This service is possible thanks to robust neighborhood partnerships, strong volunteers, and hearty donations through projects such as food drives.

 

Click here to download a pdf of ideas on how to plan your food drive.

 

Many thanks!

Will you help us move the food?

21 Jul 10

 

DMARC is a grateful recipient of extra produce from the Des Moines Downtown Farmers’ Market through the “Meals from the Market” program. We are in need of help to transport the fresh donations on these Saturdays:

 

September 4, 11, 18, 25

October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

 

Basically, you pick up the food at 11:50 a.m., swing by Bethel Mission to drop off what they’d like, then put the rest in the DMARC walk-in cooler on Douglas Avenue. If you can help on any of these Saturdays please contact Elisabeth Ballstadt, DMARC Food Pantry Director, 515-277-6969.

 

As of the end of June 2010, the DMARC Emergency Food Pantry network distributed more than 38,000 pounds of fresh produce among its 11 neighborhood sites, with thanks to generous donations and volunteers.

New DMARC Job Posting: Part-Time Events Manager

06 Jul 10

DMARC is seeking a part time Events Manager to promote the work of the Des Moines Area Religious Council by planning signature fundraising and other kinds of events for the organization and by coordinating DMARC’s involvement in events hosted by external partners and donors for the benefit of the organization and its work.

For a full job description, click here for a pdf. For more information, contact Sarai Schnucker Rice, DMARC Executive Director,sarai@dmreligious.org.

 

DMARC's Summer Hours

02 Jul 10

The DMARC Food Pantry warehouse is open to receive donations during these times:

Monday - Thursdays, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Fridays, 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Remember that we love donations of fresh produce! We are ever so grateful for the support we receive from member congregations and the entire community. Happy Summer!

 

What's For Dinner? Announcing DMARC's Most Needed Food Items

16 Jun 10

DMARC has updated its listing of most needed food items, effective immediately. The revision is based on DMARC’s commitment to providing emergency food that is free, and also nutritious. We are asking DMARC supporters to please help us promote health and wellness by noting this list of most needed items. Download a reproducible flyer of this list here (pdf).

 

DMARC Most Needed Food Items 

 

100% Juice (tomato, orange, or vegetable in a can or plastic bottle)

Fruit (canned in water or 100% juice, not in heavy syrup)

Vegetables (tomatoes, green beans, mixed vegetables, or sweet potatoes, canned with no salt added)

Beans (dry or canned in water)

Peanut butter

Meat (tuna or chicken canned in water)

Whole-grain dry pasta or egg noodles

Brown rice (regular or instant)

Vegetable soup (low-sodium)

Whole grain crackers (wheat saltines)

Spaghetti sauce

Cereal (instant or regular oatmeal with no sugar added, whole grain cheerios, wheat chex, wheaties, granola or shredded wheat)

Shelf-stable low-fat UHT milk (in aseptic packaging, no canned milk)

Infant/baby formula

Diapers and baby wipes

Personal products (shampoo, soap, feminine hygiene, toothpaste, or deodorant)

Fresh whole grain bread items (with generous expiration dates)

Fresh fruits and vegetables (potatoes/sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, carrots, grapes, oranges, tomatoes, melons, broccoli, or bell peppers)

 

Please donate far before expiration and prime ripeness. 

 

Thank you!

 

As a reminder, DMARC can also buy food wholesale thanks to generous cash gifts.

We are grateful for both cash and food donations. For more information, contact Elisabeth Ballstadt, DMARC Food Pantry Director, 515-277-6969, foodpantry@dmreligious.org.

Here's a User-Friendly Food Assistance Program for Older Adults

07 Jun 10

This card works like a debit card, yet it's actually a food assistance card. It's a tool to encourage older adults to participate in the Iowa food assistance program, formerly  known as food stamps.

Older adults have unique dietary needs. Good nutrition and exercise are a winning combination, but often difficult for older adults to afford.

The Iowa Department of Human Services offers a food assistance program to help with these difficulties. Formerly known as Food Stamps, Food Assistance helps older adults buy healthy and nutritious food — such as fresh produce and lean meats — which are often more expensive. This program is a great way to supplement fixed incomes.

DMARC recommends viewing this 6 minute video about the program and how easy it is for users. It works like a credit/debit card (see photo), so users check out at the grocery store just like everybody else.

Good nutrition is a key way to keep senior citizens healthy and keep healthcare costs down. Please help us spread the word about this program.