Food and Clothing Resources

The resources listed below are available to help families who may be struggling to make ends meet.

McKinley Food Pantry	McKinley’s food pantry will close for the summer on May 28th, 2024.
Clothing Closet	McKinley’s clothing closet is open during food pantry hours.
Double Up Food Bucks	In Iowa, Double Up Food Bucks matches your fruit and vegetable purchases when you use your EBT Card. With participating locations across the state, it’s easy to dig into twice the fruits and veggies at a location near you.
Produce Rx	The Iowa Produce Prescription Program (IPPP) advances health equity by transforming the healthcare system’s role to increase access to affordable, nutritious food that can improve the overall health of patients and their family members.
Apply for SNAP benefits	The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides benefits to supplement the food budget of income-eligible families so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency.
Apply for WIC benefits	The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is an American federal assistance program of the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture for healthcare and nutrition of low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women and children under the age of five.
Bidwell Riverside	The Food & Clothing Pantry provides families and individuals with food, clothing, personal care items, and household goods. The Bidwell Pantry is the largest serving food pantry in the state of Iowa and is a member of the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) food pantry network.
EveryStep Thrift Store	EveryStep Giving Tree thrift store helps carry out the EveryStep non-profit mission by directing all proceeds from thrift store sales toward programs and services which benefit EveryStep’s patients, clients, and their families.
Food Bank of Iowa	The Food Bank of Iowa has provided food and hope for 40 years. No Iowan should go hungry. The link will help you find food resources near you. Once you’ve selected one, contact them directly to find out about distribution times and any requirements. Then, you’ll visit the organization to receive assistance.
DMARC pantry network	People seeking assistance in the Des Moines metro area can go to one of 15 partner food pantry sites, numerous mobile food pantry sites, or home delivery program to receive a three-day supply of food for themselves and their families once per month at no cost. To find out which food pantry is nearest to you, use our mapping tool or call 515-277-6969.
CROSS Outreach	CROSS assists with an array of basic needs including laundromat vouchers, gift cards for emergency hygiene or food items for households with children, and storage costs for households in transition from homelessness.
Polk County General Assistance	Making ends meet can be hard. Sometimes even a minor disruption can cause an emergency. Polk County General Assistance provides various categories of temporary and emergency assistance for qualifying low-income applicants. The level of assistance available is not intended to fully resolve an emergency, but it does offer some relief.
Salvation Army	The Salvation Army of Des Moines partners with individuals and families to help meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs and get them back on their feet. And because poverty doesn’t have to be permanent, we help create a pathway out of challenging, persistent circumstances.
EMBARC	EMBARC offers support and resources for refugees in need. These resources include a wide range of educational and healthcare programs, as well as access to housing, food, job opportunities, mentoring and more.