New food pantry quickly becoming one of busiest
Polk County teamed up with The Des Moines Area Religious Council to open a new food pantry.
It's located on Euclid Avenue near the intersection with Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.
It didn't take long for nearby residents to welcome the food pantry, already making it one of the busiest of the 12 food pantries in Polk County.
Officials with the pantry said the difference is location, location, location. The new pantry is located close to public transportation and the county supplemental food program making it more accessible to residents.
The pantry has yet to celebrate its two month anniversary and already, the food is flying off the shelves.
"We discovered how much this pantry is needed in this area of Des Moines," said volunteer Michael McCarthy.
In its first six weeks of being open, the Polk County River Place Food Pantry has helped a little more than 1,700 people, including 989 families. That make it the fourth busiest food pantry in Polk County.
"I've literally had people in here in tears because they didn't have any food and we were able to help them," said Kelly Trave, a program aid.
Here's how it works: Once a month individuals and families in Polk County can go to the food pantry and get a four-day supply of food -- no questions asked and no one is turned away.
"There's a lot of seniors that come here that are on fixed income. Their food stamps have been cut way down, like $16, and they're using the pantry and Polk County Supplemental Foods to supplement their food supply. They're choosing between food and medicine," said Trave.
Some 16 volunteers outfit the River Place location. They help the customers shop to find the vegetables, bread and protein.
"They're here out of the goodness of their hearts. They're here because they want to help," said Trave. "They're very kind to the clients. They'll help them clear out to their cars if they have to."
WHERE TO DONATE:
DMARC, 1435 Mulberry Street, Des Moines, IA, 40309.
Call the warehouse at 515-282-2026 to donate or email for more information: info@dmarcunited.org
You can also call 515-277-6969 or visit www.movethefood.org to learn more about the food pantries.