DART passengers can help fight hunger in Polk County on December 10

Greater Des Moines residents can help fight hunger in Polk County by riding DART on Fares for Food Day, Thursday, Dec. 10.

All cash fares and donations made into DART Local, Express, Flex and On Call fareboxes will go to the Des Moines Area Regional Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network, in support of the Hunger Free Polk County initiative. Riders using passes or IDs to ride DART can make a donation into the farebox that day.

All proceeds will benefit the DMARC Food Pantry Network, the largest food pantry network in Iowa with 12 pantries across Ankeny, Des Moines, Johnson, Urbandale and West Des Moines.

According to the Hunger Free Polk County initiative,
• 54,080 individuals in Polk County struggle each day to get enough to eat
• 1 in 5 Polk County children is affected by the hunger crisis

“DART’s Fares for Food Day could not come at a better time for us,” said Rev. Sarai Schnucker Rice, DMARC’s executive director. “Over and over again this year, we have set new record highs in terms of the number of families and individuals we are serving. In November, we served 6,305 families and 16,281 individuals—more than any other month in our nearly 40-year history. We thank DART for their continued effort to ensure that everyone in Polk County has enough to eat.”

About DART: The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority is the public transportation provider that serves Polk County. DART operates a family of transportation services that makes getting around the Greater Des Moines area easier and more convenient. For more information about DART services, schedules, route changes, or directions to the nearest DART stop, visit the website at www.ridedart.com or call 515-283-8100. The MyDART Tools, Trip Planner and RideTime App are now available at www.ridedart.com.

About DMARC: The Des Moines Area Religious Council is an interfaith organization with a core membership of over 130 congregations from four faith traditions. DMARC manages a Food Pantry Network consisting of 12 separate partnering food pantry sites, a centralized food warehouse and numerous community supporters. The DMARC Food Pantry Network is health-based and is the largest food pantry network in Iowa. Food pantry sites are located in Ankeny, Des Moines, Johnson, Urbandale and West Des Moines.