LAZER’s Walking Fed Food Drive returns, and we’re on a mission to fight food insecurity for kids across Central Iowa as they head into spring break without access to school meal programs. With your support last year, we raised over $29,000—but the need continues to grow.
More than 40% of those receiving food assistance through the Food Bank of Iowa are children, and 42% of Iowa students rely on free or reduced-price school meals. To ensure kids and their families have access to nutritious food, the Food Bank of Iowa provides weekend BackPack programs for 4,100 elementary students and supports 150 school pantries, with a goal of establishing a pantry in every school. Donate today and help fill the backpacks of children in need!
We’ve teamed up with Confluence Brewing Company, who will match your donations up to $5,000, doubling your impact!
WALKING FED AUCTION
Donate to the Walking Fed by bidding in the auction! Bid for a guitar signed by Motley Crue and one signed by Chevelle or a drumhead signed by Godsmack, ride the Zamboni at an Iowa Wild Game, experience a concert with a LAZER jock, or have Heather officiate your wedding.
WALKING FED ROCK-IN
Join us on Thursday, March 6 at the Food Bank of Iowa on Guthrie Avenue for a live broadcast and a full day of volunteering from 6 am to 6 pm! Stop by to say hi to the LAZER jocks, make an in-person food or cash donation, and help us fill backpacks with shelf-stable food for kids who rely on them during spring break and beyond.
Presented by Confluence Brewing Company — where good things come together.
Why are donations for the Food Bank of Iowa so important right now?
- 37% of Iowans don’t make enough to cover their basic needs.
- 11% of Iowans – more than 350,000 of our neighbors – live in poverty. Food insecurity is a product of poverty: The Census Bureau’s most recent Household Pulse Survey reports 10.8% of Iowa households sometimes or often did not have enough to eat in the last seven days.
- Overall, 1 in 9 Iowans (and 1 in 6 kids, or 15.4%) face food insecurity.
- Low-income households are forced to spend a greater proportion of their limited incomes on food.
- Month after month, more than 40% of those receiving food assistance through the Food Bank of Iowa are children.
- Children who live in poverty, lack proper nutrition and worry about food face stress, delayed development, impaired coping skills, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities.
- Childhood hunger often leads to lifelong struggles with mental health, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
- 42% of Iowa students receive free or reduced-price school meals. In a majority of Des Moines Public Schools, more than 75% of students qualify for meals funded by the federal government, allowing these schools to provide free meals to every enrolled student through USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision.
- Food Bank of Iowa’s BackPack Program provides weekend food for 4,100 elementary children at 103 schools every Friday. The bags contain shelf-stable milk, cereal, juice, canned fruit, and meals and snacks.
- When an elementary child is hungry at school, there are almost always siblings and guardians at home who need help with food. So Food Bank of Iowa’s goal is to establish a pantry in all 165 school districts in our 44 counties. For DMPS, we are working toward a pantry in every school. Thanks to generous donors, we are making tremendous progress. Food Bank of Iowa supports 150 school pantries in 43 counties!
The Walking Fed Food Drive, Confluence Brewing Company, and LAZER 103.3 are proud supporters of the Food Bank of Iowa. The Food Bank of Iowa strives to meet the critical needs of a diverse population through its network of partner agencies in 55 Iowa counties. The partners include food pantries, community meal sites, shelters, daycares, and residential care centers, as well as child and senior programs, including the School Pantry Program serving over 100 schools and the BackPack program serving over 5,000+ kids!
