Central Iowa Shelter & Services has received a $25,000 grant from The Walmart Foundation for our Community Kitchen Program.
“We are extremely pleased to have received support from The Walmart Foundation this year,” said Tony Timm, executive director for CISS. “These funds will ensure we continue to alleviate and reduce food insecurity in our community.”
The Community Kitchen Program provides food at the Shelter along with six other meal sites throughout the Des Moines area. Meal sites are located in economically distressed neighborhoods to reach extremely low-income, near-homeless and homeless families. All meals are provided free of charge to participating families.
Statistics from the CISS Community Kitchen Survey
- Two of the program’s meal sites are in neighborhoods where the rate of poverty exceeds 33%, and one is in a neighborhood where the poverty rate exceeds 25%.
- Two of every three people eating at the sites are homeless or near-homeless.
- One of every four people eating at the sites would go hungry if CISS did not provide meals.
- More than 70% of participating families are surviving on yearly household income of <$5,000.
- The program is serving growing numbers of seniors and families with children.
- Ages of those served range from 9 months to 80+ years.
- 30% of participating families receive no other food assistance.
- Many families have no cooking/refrigeration equipment with which to store food or prepare meals.
- In fiscal year 2011, more than 92,000 meals were served.
“We are grateful for The Walmart Foundation’s support as food insecurity and need for nutritious food continues to increase,” Timm said.