- By Degrees Foundation
Organizations come together to package meals for Harding Middle School families
Des Moines, IA – The Des Moines I Have a Dream Foundation has joined with The Outreach Program, the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC), and Full Court Press, Inc. to embark on a pilot program providing 1,300 meal packs to students and families of Harding Middle School. The meals, which include a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner serving a family of five, were packed by employees of Full Court Press, Inc. and volunteers of the partner organizations during a large packaging event at the Iowa Taproom on Monday, December 4. Every other week of the spring 2018 semester, 100 family meal packs will be distributed to Harding students with the most need.

Harding Middle School, one of the largest and most diverse middle schools in the state, serves nearly 800 students, all of whom qualify for free breakfast and lunch. The Des Moines I Have a Dream Foundation, which motivates and empowers children from low-income communities to reach their education and career goals, has followed its original Findley Elementary students into Harding, expanding its programming to include the entire middle school. As part of this long-term approach of fostering a culture of college and careers and reducing barriers to education, the Foundation aims to assist families who experience food insecurity – a large deterrent to educational focus and attainment.