April 11, 2020, Des Moines, Iowa, U.S: JORDON ELWELL, owner and CEO of Midwest Foods, uses a plastic table to pass a ready to cook pasta meal to a motorist during a food distribution in Des Moines. Most non-essential businesses in Iowa are closed until 30 April. Because of business closings causes by the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, well over 100,000 Iowans filed first time claims for unemployment in the last three weeks, more than applied during the peak of the Great Recession of 2008. Local food banks have seen an unprecedented spike in people seeking nutritional assistance. Midwest Foods, a Des Moines based company and owner of Ginos Fine Italian Foods, gave away 1,000 complete dinners with sauce, noodles, salad, and dressing Saturday morning. People started lining up 3 hours before the food distribution began. The food distribution was done following ”social distancing” guidelines and all of the workers wore masks and gloves.
April 6, 2020, Des Moines, Iowa, U.S: MARIA CUNNINGHAM, a volunteer, sorts bags of food before a drive through emergency food distribution at First DSM Church in Des Moines. On Monday, 06 April, Iowa reported 946 confirmed cases of the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19. There have been 25 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Iowa. Most non-essential businesses are closed until 30 April. Well over 100,000 Iowans filed first time claims for unemployment in the last three weeks, more than applied during the peak of the Great Recession of 2008. Local food banks have seen an equal spike in people seeking nutritional assistance. First DSM Church has increased their food pantry from one day weekly to three days per week. Hundreds of people lined up Monday to get a box of food and one roll of toilet paper at the church’s drive through pantry.
Scott Mc Kiernan, Founder & CEO, ZUMA Press
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