Block grant funds will reimburse Des Moines restaurants that cook for free meal program
Shelby Fleig
Des Moines Register
The city of Des Moines is distributing $350,000 in COVID-19 relief funds to a free meal program that aims to boost locally-owned restaurants.
Central Iowa Shelter & Services has run the meal program for three years but is now allowing locally-owned restaurants and catering companies to apply to cook meals for designated meal sites around the city.
CISS runs the state's largest homeless shelter and faces limits due to social distancing and staffing, making the participating restaurants a vital part of the program going forward, CEO Melissa O'Neil said on Monday. The vendors are reimbursed at a rate of $8 per meal, paid from the COVID-19 Community Development Block Grant funds established by recent federal legislation.
"The fact that we can get multiple benefits from this program is a big part of the value," said Ward 3 Councilman Josh Mandelbaum, who led the push for funding. "Not only are we serving folks who are food insecure in our community, we're helping small businesses and providing connections" between people in need and CISS, which also offers job training.
Des Moines City Council and CISS held a Monday morning work session to iron out details about the program, which is set to run through the end of August but could be extended.
Eight meal sites are spread evenly throughout Des Moines' four wards, and several others are participating, all in low- and moderate-income areas. Eight Des Moines restaurants — 5 Spice Sisters, Big Red Truck, Catering Con Amor, El Fogon, Hotsy Totsy, Palm's Caribbean Cuisine, Prep Kings and Tursi's Latin King — have been approved to cook for the program after meeting a set of requirements.
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During the work session, some council members expressed frustration at a lack of marketing and asked questions about meal timing, locations and food vendors.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Linda Westergaard asked whether it would be more logical to serve meals later at night, when more people are off work. But lunchtime sites, unlike nighttime sites, are able to provide an additional take-home meal for each person, O'Neil said. They agreed to continue discussions around timing.
Ward 4 Councilman Joe Gatto raised concerns about the requirements for "hot meals," which mandate that food be kept at 140 degrees during distribution. There were some restaurants that didn't have the ability to do so with their current equipment, and CISS was working to help fill those gaps, O'Neil said. The group discussed the possibility of moving to cold meals, especially on warm summer days.
Mandelbaum said the program will likely evolve as the City Council finds improvements.
"We knew we had a need during the community outbreak of the coronavirus. The great thing about this program is that it helps folks on two fronts," Mayor Frank Cownie said in a news release. "We're able to provide some business to Des Moines restaurants significantly impacted these past three months while providing nutritious, healthy meals to our residents who might need a little help right now."
To see a schedule for the meal program, visit SummerMealsIA.com or go to DSM.city/COVID19 and click on "Assistance."
Shelby Fleig covers Des Moines' western suburbs for the Register. Reach her at shelbyfleig@dmreg.com or 515-214-8933.
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