MitchellvilleFoodDesert

16 SEPTEMBER 2020 - MITCHELLVILLE, IOWA: A man and his son look for cereal in the pantry at the Heritage Word of Life Church. There is no grocery store in Mitchellville, a small community in eastern Polk County. It doesn't qualify as a "food desert" under USDA guidelines because there are grocery stores within 10 miles in neighboring communities, but based on state data, Mitchellville is the poorest community in Polk County (which includes the Des Moines metropolitan area). The Mitchellville zip code has the lowest per capita income in Polk County. Many people don't own cars and can't get to neighboring communities to buy groceries. The library in Mitchellville has made arrangements with a neighboring community to serve hot meals. Every day someone from the Mitchellville library picks up hot meals from a nearby town and distributes them in the library. Heritage Word of Life, a church across the street from Library, has a food pantry in their Fellowship Room where people can pick up fresh vegetables, staples, and hygiene needs. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ

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Filename: MitchellvilleFoodDesert015.jpg
Copyright: © 2020 John Kurtz
Image Size: 6240x4160 / 12.8MB; 090220 Food Food Desert Food Insecurity FoodDesert Iowa Mitchellville Poverty
Contained in galleries: Upper Midwest of the US

16 SEPTEMBER 2020 - MITCHELLVILLE, IOWA: A man and his son look for cereal in the pantry at the Heritage Word of Life Church. There is no grocery store in Mitchellville, a small community in eastern Polk County. It doesn't qualify as a "food desert" under USDA guidelines because there are grocery stores within 10 miles in neighboring communities, but based on state data, Mitchellville is the poorest community in Polk County (which includes the Des Moines metropolitan area). The Mitchellville zip code has the lowest per capita income in Polk County. Many people don't own cars and can't get to neighboring communities to buy groceries. The library in Mitchellville has made arrangements with a neighboring community to serve hot meals. Every day someone from the Mitchellville library picks up hot meals from a nearby town and distributes them in the library. Heritage Word of Life, a church across the street from Library, has a food pantry in their Fellowship Room where people can pick up fresh vegetables, staples, and hygiene needs. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ