Hy-Vee’s Colossal Cookie Sale Raises Money for Area Food Pantries

A news release from the Des Moines Area Religious Council:

These cookies are on a mission, so mark your calendars for September 10-23, 2013, when Hy-Vee gives their chocolate chips an assignment they will never forget. Preorders for lunchpail cookies are being accepted now at your local Hy-Vee bakery.

The 11th annual Hy-Vee Colossal Cookie Sale starts Tuesday, September 10 and runs through Monday, September 23. For each cookie sold, Hy-Vee will donate one penny to the DMARC Food Pantry Network.

Since the Cookie Sale began in 2003, Hy-Vee stores have over 7,957,200 million cookies and have donated nearly $80,000 in food products to DMARC’s network of neighborhood pantries in greater Des Moines. Last year, 713,396 cookies were sold at area Hy-Vee food stores, which provided for over $7,000 worth of cereal to be delivered to DMARC, for distribution among all 13 partner food pantry sites.

Hy-Vee Store Director Wes Snook says that they look forward to this event each year. “At the same time that we can offer a nice treat to our customers, we can partner with the DMARC to help them with their mission of easing hunger in our city,” said Snook. “We are proud to be able to give back to our community and this is just one of the many ways we are hoping everyone will join with us to help.”

This year’s goal is to reach ONE MILLION cookies sold to raise $10,000 for the DMARC Food Pantry Network. Lunchpail cookies will sell for 12 cents each, with 100 cookies priced at just $10.99. Preorder now through your local Hy-Vee bakery! Cookie choices include: sugar, M&M, peanut butter, chocolate chip, brownie, oatmeal raisin & English toffee.

Businesses, congregations, and other groups may download a flyer to post from the DMARC website. For more information call your local Hy-Vee Bakery, or contact the Des Moines Area Religious Council at 515-277-6969, or visit www.dmreligous.org.

“These cookies freeze well and the serving choices are endless; think birthdays, holidays, gifts, graduations, family gatherings, congregational meals, staff parties,” said Red Barrel Coordinator John E. Robinson. “The Hy-Vee Colossal Cookie Sale is a warm and tasty way to support the Food Pantry Network.”

For more information, including a listing of all ingredients included to make one million cookies, check out our website, www.MovetheFood.org.

MovetheFood is a DMARC-led initiative to address the entire food system in Greater Des Moines, building on more than 36 years of food assistance work, catalyzing fresh generations, and engaging new constituencies to further support a vision for a day when everyone in Polk County has enough to eat.

The DMARC Food Pantry Network, a cornerstone of the MovetheFood initiative, consists of 13 separate pantry sites, a centralized warehouse, and numerous community partners. It is the largest food pantry system in Iowa. Pantry sites are located in West Des Moines, Ankeny, Johnston, and Urbandale, with nine sites in Des Moines. The DMARC Food Pantry network helps meet short-term food needs when families do not have enough to eat. Once each month, families can receive a free, four-day supply of nutritionally balanced food. In 2012, DMARC assisted more than 33,000 individuals in the greater Des Moines community; half of whom were children and youth.

DMARC is the acronym for the Des Moines Area Religious Council, an interfaith organization with a core membership of about 140 congregations from four faith traditions. Recipient of the 2012 Live United Advocate Award from the United Way of Central Iowa, DMARC provides a common means of responding to basic human needs and a context for interfaith dialogue.

Among participating Hy-Vee stores are:

Ankeny

410 N Ankeny Blvd

515-964-0900

Hy-Vee Drugstore

849 S Ankeny Blvd

515-964-2666

Johnston

5750 Merle Hay Rd

515-270-9045

Urbandale

8601 Douglas Ave

515-270-2572

Waukee

1005 E Hickman Rd

515-987-0404

West Des Moines

1700 Valley West Dr

515-223-4597

1990 Grand Ave

515-223-8151

1725 Jordan Creek Pkwy

515-226-8753

I-35 & Mills Civic Pkwy

515-225-1193

Hy-Vee Drugstore

1010 60th St

515-440-1481