Des Moines, Iowa — Des Moines Public Schools provides free breakfast and lunch to all students in the district. But more than that, many students did not have enough food at home.
said Mariah Button, Community School Coordinator at Walnut Street School. deal with.
Button has been a community coordinator since January. She moved here from her rural Minnesota, which is also a food desert. So it wasn’t expected that we wouldn’t find enough food here.
“Yes, I was surprised that there was a need,” Button said. “There are many food banks and organizations that can help us. There is also.”
So she set out to visit anyone who could donate to this Walnut Street school food pantry.
“So when I started, we were just doing food rescue, so we went out to a few businesses that had restaurants,” Button said. He was one of our first members, and he liked the idea of what it would be like to come once a week and pick up all your extra meals.
Now she can reach into the freezer and send the finished meal home with her students.
She also looks for winter coats, shoes and school supplies to give to students in need.
If you would like to donate to Walnut Street School and Downtown Elementary, please contact Mariah Button at [email protected].