Des Moines, IA, January 17, 2017 – The Food Bank of Iowa is coordinating a new Mobile Pantry in Adel, partnering with New Hope Youth Center to fight hunger. The distributions will take place on the fourth Monday of each month, beginning on Monday, January 23.

A Mobile Pantry is a farmers market style food distribution program, targeted toward counties with a need for additional pantry service. The Food Bank of Iowa delivers a truck with a variety of grocery products to a mobile pantry site, where volunteers unload, set up and distribute the food.

“We are very excited to get this mobile pantry started in Adel,” said Abbi Neighbour, regional partnership coordinator at the Food Bank of Iowa. “Through this partnership with New Hope Youth Center, we’ll get closer to ensuring that every child, family, and senior that struggles with hunger has access to enough food.”

All 99 counties in Iowa have some level of food insecurity, which means that an individual or family does not have reliable access to enough nutritious food. The Food Bank of Iowa estimates that there are more than 180,000 food insecure people within its service area of 55 counties, including Dallas. According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap survey, the number of food insecure people in Dallas County is 6,710, and the food insecurity rate is 9.3 percent.

“Throughout the state of Iowa, every community has some level of food insecurity,” said Matt Unger, program manager at the Food Bank of Iowa. “It doesn’t matter whether you live in a big city, a suburb, or a small town, you have people around you who struggle to get enough food for themselves and their families. That’s why we’re here to help.”

The Mobile Pantry is free and open to the public, and geared toward individuals in need of food assistance. Mobile Pantry attendees are encouraged to bring bags, laundry baskets or boxes to carry their food.

Food Bank of Iowa seeks additional partners to coordinate mobile pantry distributions in their communities. If an individual or organization would like to learn more or get involved, they should contact us at 515-564-0330 or visit www.foodbankiowa.org.

Adel Mobile Pantry Information
Dates: fourth Monday of every month, beginning January 23
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: New Hope Youth Center, 712 Cottage Street, Adel, IA 50003

For media inquiries, contact Danny Akright, communications manager, Food Bank of Iowa, dakright@foodbankiowa.org or 515-564-0330. To learn how you can help fight hunger in your community, visit www.foodbankiowa.org.