Des Moines pantries at impasse with Food Bank of Iowa over contract, cutting off food help

Some Des Moines-area food pantries still have not signed a new contract with Food Bank of Iowa, stating the new agreement comes with strict and uncooperative requirements that the massive Central Iowa food provider is unwilling to budge on.

Months after Food Bank of Iowa and the Des Moines Area Religious Council reconciled their public disagreement, some DMARC-affiliated pantries have lingering concerns about the new contract, leaving them hesitant to sign on to a new partnership with the food bank.

The contract dispute comes at a time when the need for food assistance is at record heights due to inflation and reduced pandemic-era assistance.

Food Bank of Iowa recently reported its partners across 55 counties served 661,506 households in fiscal year 2023, an increase of more than 170,000 households from the previous fiscal year. Officials also reported nearly 1.8 million points of service, which includes about 760,000 children under the age of 18.

But several food pantries are balking at the requirements Food Bank of Iowa want to place on them before they can get supplies to stock their shelves.

The new agreement, obtained by the Des Moines Register, includes clauses that prohibit partners from publicly disparaging Food Bank of Iowa and allow the organization to access their partner's financial records, including those that don't pertain to Food Bank items.

In addition, one local pantry leader said the new contract offers no protection against unilateral changes in requirements by Food Bank of Iowa — an issue that ultimately resulted in 10 food pantries cutting ties with the food bank last fall.

“To me being in a collaborative partnership means understanding enough about both parties and understanding what's best for the outcome we're looking for to know where you can be flexible," said Anne Bacon, CEO of IMPACT Community Action Partnership. "It does not feel — at least in dealing with us — that there’s been any flexibility."

Food Bank of Iowa has pushed back on those criticisms, stating officials knew of no concerns about the contract among existing partners. Food Bank of Iowa CEO Michelle Book said stipulations laid out in the contract ensure all parties are aligned in meeting the same mission: helping feed Iowans who are struggling to make ends meet.

She also noted the contract is reviewed and approved annually by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

"When our partners succeed, people are fed, and our joint mission is accomplished," Book said in a statement to the Register. "… Our partners are the front line directly handing food to our neighbors in need. It takes all of us working together to provide vital nutrition to Iowans facing food insecurity. We endeavor to work with like-minded nonprofits focused on meeting the needs of Iowans."

Worries over new contract stem from earlier dispute

As a wholesale provider for food assistance nonprofits in Central Iowa, Food Bank of Iowa helps food pantries stock their shelves at low prices and provides other federal commodities such as dairy and eggs. Officials say the organization has agreements with about 700 agencies across 55 counties for access to its amenities.

The latest criticism of Food Bank of Iowa's contract stipulations traces back to September when the organization introduced a new contract addendum requiring its partner agencies to provide all clients within their service areas at least a three-day supply of food, about 12 pounds per client.

DMARC-affiliated food pantries in the Des Moines metro balked at that stipulation, saying it would potentially require them to give individual clients that amount of food at all of the group's 15 pantries each month, adding up to 42 days' worth of food for one person.

Officials at the organization also argued they already provided a three-day supply of food to clients each month.

More: Is Food Bank of Iowa's exclusive contract with Kum & Go starving Des Moines food pantries?

Food Bank of Iowa stood firm, and 10 DMARC pantries cut ties with Food Bank.

As a result, local food pantry shelves sat mostly empty for months as they struggled to find food rescue and other high-demand items like eggs.

In February, after Des Moines City Council pressured the two organizations to find a solution, Food Bank of Iowa and DMARC announced they had reached an agreement. DMARC food pantries could again receive Food Bank items, once they signed a new agreement.

As of July, all but three pantries have resigned a two-year agreement presented by Food Bank of Iowa. Those that haven't signed include two pantries operated by Polk County: River Place Food Pantry and Northside Food Pantry.

Eric Kool, director of Polk County Community, Family and Youth Services, said the county did not discuss specific contract language with Food Bank of Iowa.

"The Food Bank of Iowa mandated a change to separate Polk County from its historical partnership through DMARC, and for that reason there has been no additional meaningful contract conversation," Kool said.

DMARC officials declined to comment on the concerns raised by its food pantries because the organization had "no role in making those agreements."

"As an organization, we would never encourage our pantries to do anything that we wouldn’t do ourselves, and that is why we chose to sign on as a FBOI partner with our DMARC Southside Food Pantry in the agreements laid out back in February," said Blake Willadsen, DMARC spokesperson. "Since then, we’ve encouraged all of our partner pantries to consider what makes the best fit for them and the people utilizing their pantry space."

Other DMARC food pantries that resigned with Food Bank of Iowa declined to comment.

Food pantry says lack of negotiation is 'maddening'

The local non-profit IMPACT has yet to sign an agreement with Food Bank of Iowa for its two food pantries in the Des Moines area, located in the Drake neighborhood and in Ankeny.

It also operates a third pantry in Boone County that already has a contract with Food Bank of Iowa, Bacon said.

Recently, Food Bank of Iowa's executive committee unanimously voted to deny revisions to its contract that IMPACT officials proposed. In a statement to the Register, Book said her organization's leadership team and board members believe the existing contract is fair and adequate.

To Bacon, the unwillingness to consider changes to the contract is not only puzzling but signals an indifference to collaboration with smaller agencies.

Food Bank of Iowa, the largest in the state, represents a critical partnership for nonprofits working to feed residents who lack sufficient access to food, particularly at a time when food pantries in the state are seeing record-breaking visits to their sites month after month.

“Anti-poverty work is hard in our culture, period. And when your partners that are supposed to be in the trenches with you add more roadblocks, it’s maddening," Bacon said. "(Food Bank of Iowa) is the only one that I’ve ever dealt with in Central Iowa that has made my job harder instead of easier.”

Andrea Cook of the Johnston Partnership said her organization resigned their contract with Food Bank of Iowa earlier this month, but it was not because they felt the conflict had been resolved.

The pantry has squeaked by without the Food Bank’s assistance for nearly a year, but Cook said the increase in demand forced her and her board to reconsider the partnership.

Though none of the concerns that caused the original schism were resolved, Cook said the pantry "can't say no to any access" to additional resources to help feed hungry people.

“There is a growing need and it’s hard for everybody to keep up right now," Cook said. "And I don’t in any way, shape or form have an anticipation that DMARC on their own or Food Bank on their own is going to serve everyone, but I would like them to be a little better good-faith partner in those operations.”

More: Food pantries fear Iowa's new SNAP asset tests could overwhelm them with more clients

What revisions did food pantry leaders want in the Food Bank contract?

The new Food Bank of Iowa contract obtained by the Register states that the organization would provide 30 days' notice of any "significant changes" made to the signed agreement. Any unresolved disagreements with the partner agency over those revisions would be reviewed by the Food Bank of Iowa executive committee.

Bacon had requested the contract be amended to state that no changes would be made to the contract unless required by law or by Feeding America or the partner agency agrees to new contract language.

“We don’t want them to unilaterally change it," she said. "That’s what happened last October, so what we’re asking for would prevent what happened last time.”

Bacon also requested edits to a requirement that food bank's partner agencies provide books and records "including but not limited to those which track the receipt and distribution of products obtained from Food Bank of Iowa" available with or without notice.

She had noted in correspondence with Food Bank of Iowa officials that providing all financial records would be a breach of her organization's state and federal grants.

As a nonprofit fully funded by donations, Book said her organization must ensure every dollar is being used to purchase, store and transport food for the benefit of other organizations feeding those who are food insecure.

"In effect, we are a regranting organization turning donations into food assets and sharing those assets with those working on the front line of hunger relief," Book said. "It is our fiduciary responsibility to fully vet potential partners."

Food Bank of Iowa's contract also states partners will not "publicly disparage one another," language that was included to promote collaboration and ethical behavior between partners, Book said.

"We should all desire to foster working relationships that promote mutual respect and civility," she said. "Given the well-documented challenges of the past year, you can understand our desire to emphasize civility in the hunger-fighting community. Other language in the agreement commits to how we will share changes in the future and respond to concerns."

Still, that clause also concerns some DMARC-affiliated pantries, leaving them with questions on where that line sits. It's unclear whether saying anything negative about Food Bank of Iowa, even as well-meaning criticism, would be considered disparagement, Cook said.

Bacon said she requested edits to that language in the contract because her organization works to advocate for low-income clients. That includes calling out bad behavior among other entities, including other nonprofits or businesses.

“We like to operate as transparently as possible because we think that's best for the community and for our funders and for those we serve," she said. "So this level of secrecy is not something we're accustomed to.”

Bacon said she hopes to continue dialogue with Food Bank of Iowa.

As her pantry reintegrates back into a Food Bank partnership, Cook said she's waiting to see how things unfold. But so far in the early days of the agreement, she's disappointed the system has not been built back up better, she said.

"We now know what it looks like to not be a Food Bank partner, and we know we can do it. It’s not great, but we can do it," Cook said. "So what we know is we’re just going to look at the relationship a little differently and we will truly do what is best for our clients and not necessarily what makes Food Bank look good.”

Reporter Francesca Block contributed reporting.

Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines pantries balk at restrictive Food Bank of Iowa contract