Des Moines Public Schools officials struggle to meet growing needs of district families

Jessica Trinidad sometimes struggled financially while working multiple jobs, attending college and caring for her young son during the early 2000s.

In 2009, Trinidad's son, Dante Trinidad-Gomez, started kindergarten at McKinley Elementary School in Des Moines. McKinley, which now has about 50% Hispanic enrollment, is one of four Des Moines Public Schools that receive free winter wear from Athene USA’s Coats & Boots event.

The West Des Moines-based retirement services company has been donating boots and coats to area schools for the last 29 years.

"When my son was growing up that was very helpful," Trinidad said. "We were just starting up here in Iowa. It was definitely just reassuring to know that was one less expense."

This month, Athene officials once again donated coats and boots to students at McKinley, Cattell, Howe and Studebaker elementary schools in Des Moines.

More:Upset parents want Iowa school district to scrub lessons with LGBTQ, 'critical race ideology'

The winter clothes have been a great help to families, but officials have begun to field more requests that go beyond clothing, said Sarah Grady, McKinley's principal. The growing queries for help with utility bills and broken cars come amid record-high inflation, the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the usual yearly winter and holiday needs.

Food pantries, mental health services, and clothing are already among the goods and services available to students at Des Moines schools, Grady said.

The increasing requests for help aren't contained to Iowa’s largest and most diverse school district. Nonprofits across the state are seeing a similar increase in people needing help to meet basic needs such as food, shelter and paying utility bills.

"The coats and boots is a feel-good story and our students look forward to it every year," Grady said. "Our families do appreciate it. There's just, of course, some larger needs that we wish we could address in a very real way.”

'I have duct-taped a couple pairs of shoes back together'

Though the number of people using district food pantries has not gone up significantly, the amount of food people are taking has increased, said Tina Epp, McKinley's community schools coordinator. Additionally, the food in the pantries is not as varied as in past years.

Epp has also seen other donations drop.

Before the current school year, about half of McKinley's students received new shoes from a nonprofit, Epp said. This year, the group did not have enough funds to buy the students new shoes.

"We weren't prepared on our end to not have that come in," she said.

“I have duct-taped a couple pairs of shoes back together."

School officials are thankful for the help students still receive and understand times are tough. The hope is other community partners will step up to offer services or the district will see an increase in volunteers.

More:Des Moines could see its first charter school in a decade next fall: Why it's coming

Some issues, like the need for mechanics, are beyond what the district can offer families.

“I can't send staff to pick up kids on a daily basis,” Grady said, “and our transportation department is already stretched thin.”

Des Moines Public Schools is dealing with a multi-year bus driver shortage.

“It's not that people don't want their kids to be here,” she said.

Some nonprofits see government funding, donations dry up

Much like schools, Iowa nonprofits are seeing an increase in people asking for help as cold weather sets in.

Even 211 — a free 24-hour service for people in need of advice and community service referrals — has seen an increase in people needing help for complicated problems including housing, said Melissa McCoy, United Way of Central Iowa's director of 211 Iowa.

The loss of several COVID-era funding sources for necessities such as rent assistance is also complicating matters, McCoy said.

"The person that's calling in looking for the assistance shares that frustration because the programs have declined," she said.

Nonprofits are "seeing a decrease in people that are donating to them," McCoy said, "because when we have issues like what we're seeing today, people tighten their belts."

More:Hundreds of Iowa schools qualify for federal funds to boost student achievement

Trinidad, now an audio producer and voice actor, is in a much better place financially, due in part to the assistance the family received at McKinley. Last year, the family moved, and Simon Trinidad-Gomez now attends Downtown Elementary School in Des Moines. But Trinidad remains grateful for the help provided families at McKinley.

"(Dante) still remembers some of the teachers that are still there," she said. "I think it's a great school, and it definitely deserves to keep getting more help and more resources to continue to provide good role models for the kids in our community."

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.

How to help Des Moines Public Schools families

People interested in volunteering with the school district can apply at www.dmschools.org/volunteer.

Companies or organizations wishing to partner with the school district should reach out to community partnership coordinator Vanessa Howell at (515) 242-7989 or vanessa.howell@dmschools.org.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines schools struggle to meet growing needs of district families