Des Moines food pantry plans to move, sell downtown location

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines food pantry that last year helped nearly 60,000 people has announced it has launched a $5.6 million capital campaign and will move its headquarters from downtown to the city’s south side. The Des Moines Area Religious Council announced Tuesday its move is needed because of a nearly 80% increase in the number of people the organization has assisted since moving to its current downtown site in 2014. DMARC agreed in October 2020 to buy a building, and a construction company began renovations last spring with a goal of finishing the work in early 2022. The new site will triple the amount of storage space and dramatically improve the cold storage capacity. The organization plans to sell its current location.