IC Compassion wants to thank our community for the many ways you have supported our work through your financial gifts, food and clothing donations, volunteering, and through prayer. We are so grateful for all of you!!
As 2021 begins, the future has never felt so unpredictable. Many families in our community face illness, job loss, hunger and homelessness. At a time when everything feels uncertain, we at IC Compassion are encouraged knowing that our community cares about our mission to help move people out of poverty and inspire them to be of service to others.
We know that now, more than ever, our community needs us. Some of those needs might look very different than they have in the past and IC Compassion is committed to adapting to our changing reality. Food insecurity in Iowa has increased 200%-300% since March 2020. Over the past nine months, IC Compassion has tripled our food pantry distribution, going from providing meals for an average of 100 families per week to 200-450 families per week. When a tree fell on our roof during the August 11th derecho, we moved our pantry to the parking lot so that we could ensure others affected more severely would still have food and assembled personal care packages for people who lost power or had to evacuate their homes.
Recently, a local immigrant requested help from IC Compassion for twenty families in her neighborhood severely impacted by COVID-19. We were able to provide enough food to feed these families for two weeks. To thank us, she cleaned our kitchen and donated two serving carts! Stories like these continue to inspire us and stir us to further action to reduce food insecurity in our community.
IC Compassion is committed to serve our community throughout the pandemic and afterward with a permanent expansion of our food pantry. We are fundraising $25,000 to construct a new space of 315 sq ft in our existing building to better serve the community with new refrigeration and storage space. By renovating and expanding our existing facilities, we will double our cold storage space, reduce food waste, our food pantry will become universally accessible, and we will be able to receive and efficiently distribute more than 150 additional meals for hungry families every week. Will you join us in this exciting endeavor?
If you are in a position to make a gift, please donate securely at iccompassion.org/give. If you make a gift of $500 or more during our capital campaign running through April 30, 2021, you can add your name or dedication to our permanent Table Plaque which will be displayed on the wall of IC Compassion. Reserve your space at the table today!
If you’re unable to support us financially at this time, there are other ways you can support us! Donate your talents by providing computer training, teaching English or providing tutoring. Please advocate for us by sharing our mission with family and friends and give us a shout out on your social media.
In times like this, we’re reminded of how interconnected we all are. Thank You for being part of our community, and Thank You for your support.