![]() ![]() We also want to build meaningful opportunities for our partners. Iowa State friendly tailgate competition, or volunteering in our warehouse or at Stamp Out Hunger®, fun was an element in all.īut fun is just the beginning! DMARC is committed to building a positive relationship with our corporate partner’s one that helps them achieve their goals and one that provides an element of learning, too. Whether building a putt-putt golf course with cans, having an Iowa vs. In total, nearly 70,000 volunteer hours were contributed to the DMARC Food Pantry Network, a value of $1.6 million. Nearly 100 corporate partners provided over $100,000 in support to the DMARC Food Pantry Network. Matching gifts – matching a personal gift by the corporate partnerĭMARC has long enjoyed support from the corporate community.Iowa State tailgate drive, or other activity) Fund & food drive – special or seasonal promotion (holiday drive, Iowa vs.Sponsorship – DMARC event or special need.Grant support – DMARC Food Pantry Network or other projects.Corporate volunteers – senior or staff level service to a committee, board, or special project.Like many things, corporate engagement should not be viewed as a “one and done” type of exercise rather it should be viewed as a continuum with many options for an organization to consider involvement with DMARC. They also want to foster an active and engaged employee base, knowing that nonprofit experiences can build both camaraderie and leadership skills – both good things. Not only do they want to help the communities in which they reside succeed, but they also want to be a caring member of their community. Savvy employers know this well and understand that employee retention is important to their bottom line, so providing these opportunities and experiences is important to them, too. But what does corporate engagement really mean? In today’s work environment, employees are looking for more than a “job.” They are looking for a work experience that includes an employer that is active in their community and that also provides opportunities for them to give back, often during the work day. With our focus on providing healthy food, and the continued increase in need at our food pantries, we know our expenses for fresh produce will continue to rise.īut you can help! By donating to DMARC’s new Fresh Fund, you are supporting the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables and the health of the people assisted by our Food Pantry Network.Ĭorporate engagement is an important part of any nonprofit’s work, including that of DMARC. In fiscal year 2017-2018, the DMARC Food Pantry Network distributed 1,463,276 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables in Greater Des Moines. We know that people using our food pantries can’t always afford to buy fresh and healthy food for their families at the grocery store. The Fresh Fund was created because, simply put, healthy food is expensive food. To commemorate this milestone, DMARC established the “Fresh Fund” to support the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. On March 1, 2018, DMARC celebrated 10 years of Rev. Sarai Rice’s 10th Anniversary Celebration and Launch of the “Fresh Fund” Thank you for the opportunity to serve as part of that effort. We can build a greater sense of community that we all benefit from through the spirit of empathy, giving, and collaboration demanded of us to ensure that none of our neighbors go hungry. From an interfaith perspective, bringing people together to fight food insecurity gives us the opportunity to use that common ground to create a greater spirit of empathy and collaboration in what is otherwise too often a divided and troubled world. To quote James Beard, “food is our common ground.” We all need it. Looking ahead, the growth in demand we are experiencing to meet people’s most basic food needs is sobering, but it also allows us the chance to grow as a community. ![]() I believe that when we provide healthy food to our neighbors that may otherwise go without, we are also building a stronger, safer, and healthier community for everyone. I saw those faces in our neighbors going into our pantries, but because of your support, what I saw coming out were people with healthy food to eat, and my hope is a better life because of it. The faces of hunger are as broad as the faces of America.” Perhaps it’s an elderly neighbor who must make a decision whether to delay filling a prescription or buying groceries. Or it could be a co-worker, a working mother whose low-wage job doesn’t make ends meet. It may be your child’s schoolmate who is undernourished and has difficulty learning on an empty stomach. “Tonight, thousands of your neighbors will go to bed hungry. That experience reminded me of a quote from former General Mill Executive David Nasby: I sat outside most of them before I went in, just to watch the people going in and out. Last year I had the opportunity to visit all of the food pantries in DMARC’s Network. ![]()
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