DMARC's mission is the meet the basic human needs of the greater Des Moines community and fighting food insecurity is its most visible contribution.
Today, the DMARC Food Pantry Network consists of 14 partner pantries and nearly 30 mobile food pantry sites that assist nearly 56,000 unique individuals annually in Central Iowa.
Those who currently utilize the DMARC pantry do so on average only 4 times during the course of one year. By and large, people use a pantry when they must, but no more. DMARC continues to be part of a safety net for our community, helping those in need when that need occurs.
Women, children, and adults over 60 comprise the majority of people receiving food assistance through the DMARC Food Pantry Network. One in three people assisted by DMARC are children. Food pantry visitors represent diverse religious, cultural, regional, and ethnic backgrounds. An estimated 95% of food pantry users have household incomes at or below 185% of the federal poverty level.