Photo provided by the Food Bank of Iowa

The Food Bank of Iowa and seven metro churches distributed 1,008 turkey holiday meals to low-income families in Des Moines with funding from John and Mary Pappajohn, the Food Bank of Iowa announced this week. Following a phone call from John Pappajohn in early December, the Food Bank of Iowa partnered with community activist Al Perez to identify churches serving the Des Moines immigrant communities for distribution to families. The organization rented additional refrigerated trucks for delivery, recruited additional volunteers to package and distribute meals, and sourced food for a complete holiday meal from Fareway Stores Inc. Food insecurity has doubled overall during the economic impact of COVID-19 and tripled for households with children; Latino and African American families have been the hardest hit, with food insecurity rates of 47% and 39%, according to the Food Bank of Iowa.