Iowa Newcomers Will Soon Be Able to Get A Taste of Home

Central Iowans who need help putting food on the table will soon have a new option — a pantry designed to include a wider range of culturally-specific groceries.

The Global Neighbors Multicultural Welcome Pantry is being developed in Des Moines and plans to stock foods common in communities from Central and South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and other regions.

Mak Suceska, operations manager for Polk County’s Global Neighbors, says the pantry is meant to meet a growing need — but it won’t be limited to immigrants and refugees.

He says the pantry will still carry the foods typically available at other pantries, and it will be open to the broader community as well.

Organizers are working with local Latino, Asian, and African community groups, who will help decide which items should be stocked. Suceska says that matters because some people facing food insecurity have struggled to find familiar ingredients at traditional pantries.

He says in some cases, people either left without taking much food — or didn’t take what was available because it didn’t fit their needs.

The Multicultural Welcome Pantry is scheduled to open in early February. It will be located in the space currently used by the Polk County Northside Food Pantry in Des Moines.