Bidwell Riverside Center recently received Great Western Bank’s Making Life Great Grant for $2,500 to help fund the Child Development Center.

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Press Release by Bidwell Riverside Center, October 8th, 2020

“We are very thankful to Great Western Bank for awarding the Bidwell Riverside Child Development Center their Making Life Great Grant. Funding like this is crucial to support our mission of empowering children, regardless of income or background, to be compassionate and able life-long learners by providing quality education and care,” said Executive Director, Tim Shanahan. 

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Read the press release.

Bidwell Riverside Center’s food pantry, a DMARC (Des Moines Area Religious Council) partner pantry, experienced a 31% increase in the number of individuals served in March, totaling 4,329 people.

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March is normally a slow month for the Food & Clothing Pantry because many people are receiving their tax refunds and can purchase their food rather than receive it from us. However, many of the clients we have served recently have been let go from their retail and restaurant jobs indefinitely due to all of the closings, have more mouths to feed since their children are home from school, or are just simply worried about where they are going to get their next meal from, especially with all of the shortages happening at grocery stores.

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Bidwell Riverside Center raised over $33,500 to help alleviate food insecurity in Central Iowa
Press Release by Bidwell Riverside Center, November 13, 2019

On November 7th, Bidwell Riverside Center held its 3rd annual Empty Bowls fundraiser to shed light on the food insecurity faced by our neighbors and raised over $33,500 to support Bidwell’s mission to increase stability and self-sufficiency in our Central Iowa community. Each attendee at Empty Bowls selected a hand-made artisan bowl to take home to remind them to fill the bowls of others as often as they can.

Read the press release.

Polk County Board of Supervisors Funds Food Pantry Expansion

Press Release by Bidwell Riverside Center, April 3, 2019

Thanks to funding from the Polk County Community Development Grant from the Polk County Board of Supervisors, a 720 square foot expansion has been completed, creating new semi-private offices for client intake and freeing up space for significantly more seating in the waiting area. Architectural services were donated by Simonson & Associates Architects, LLC, and Venter Spooner contributed service fees as well.

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Read the press release.

Bidwell Riverside Helping Families with Thanksgiving Meal
By Kelly Maricle, Who-TV Channel 13 News, November 16, 2017

Bidwell Riverside Center's annual turkey giveaway is made possible by the Polk County Board of Supervisors, which will supply 600 turkeys this year to be distributed Thursday, November 16th through Saturday, November 18th. Christ Lutheran Church donated an additional 44 turkeys and hams, and various other meat donations means Bidwell will distribute nearly 700 Thanksgiving meal packages.

We raised more than $5,000 at our 2018 Pancake Breakfast, thanks to our generous supporters and volunteers! The breakfast, held Saturday, March 10th, was hosted by Grace United Methodist Church, and attended by many long-time supporters and volunteers.

See more pictures here.

Bidwell Riverside Center has received a $15,000 grant from Variety - the Children’s Charity to fund the installation of much-needed new flooring in the Bidwell Riverside Child Development Center

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Press Release by Bidwell Riverside Center, September 21st, 2020

The grant from Variety – the Children’s Charity will be used to replace the damaged flooring on the main level of the building. The current flooring has many cracks and chips in the tiles and has created a safety hazard for children and staff. The new flooring will be much more durable and will allow the children to be able to run and play without worrying about tripping on the damaged tiles.

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Read the press release.

Bidwell Riverside Center’s food pantry experienced a 13% increase in the number of individuals served in November, totaling 5,891 people. Throughout the month, Bidwell also provided either a Thanksgiving turkey or ham to 1,707 households, a 60% increase from last year.

Since 1893, Bidwell Riverside Center has existed to help struggling families meet their basic needs so they can become self-sufficient and ultimately, break the cycle of poverty. Bidwell’s choice pantry system allows families to shop the shelves of the pantry, which helps to maintain dignity and ensure higher satisfaction with the food families receive. The pantry is a one-stop-shop for essential needs: diapers, baby food, clothing, toiletries, and household goods. All of this, as well as food, is available for free to anyone who walks through the doors. Last year, Bidwell distributed approximately 133,000 clothing items, 40,000 diapers, 4,000 units of baby formula or food, and 33,000 toiletry items. Access to food, toiletries, diapers, baby food, formula, clothing, and household items is vital to those living in poverty, and the need is not subsiding.

Read the press release.

Bidwell Riverside Center receives $10,214 grant from
Variety- the Children’s Charity

Press Release by Bidwell Riverside Center, September 26, 2019

This grant allows the children to benefit from improved play spaces, additional STEM engagement opportunities, and more gross motor function activities. The therapists (occupational, speech, physical, etc…) who work with the children at Bidwell will now have more tools at their disposal for tactile learning in the new multi-purpose room, providing the children with more diverse options for learning.

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Read the press release.

Partnership for a Hunger-Free Polk County Provides New Truck for Bidwell 

Press Release by Bidwell Riverside Center, October 23, 2017

Nonprofits often find themselves without the best tools to do their work, but south-side food pantry and early childhood development center Bidwell Riverside Center was recently gifted an impactful new tool by the Partnership for a Hunger-Free Polk County: a brand-new truck.

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Read the press release.

The inaugural Empty Bowls: A Benefit for Bidwell Riverside Center on November 2, 2017 was a success! The Partnership for a Hunger-Free Polk County matched more than $12,000 raised at the event to help raise more than $30,000 to support Bidwell’s efforts to reduce food insecurity and increase stability and self-sufficiency in our community.

See more here.

We were selected as a nonprofit participant for the DSM Hack, a nonprofit event that brings together local nonprofits and tech gurus to find solutions to technological barriers. A group of developers primarily from Workiva, sponsors of the event, took interest in our desire to have an app for the pantry wait time, and enthusiastically tackled the problem.