Eddie Davis Center Helps Bridge the Gap for Needy

Editor's note: As the recession lingers, West Des Moines is home to a growing number of residents who are unemployed or underemployed. Part 2 of Melissa Walker's report examines how the Eddie Davis Community Center picks up where leaves off.

The center has a food pantry, free lunches and dinners, a clothing closet, a law library, a computer lab and a medical clinic that is available to anyone regardless of income. Center officials only ask that individuals sign in when they receive assistance so they can tally the number of people who are helped.

“We realize that if somebody comes in more than once a week, they must need it,” said Vicky Long-Hill, executive director of the community center. “They’re not getting a lot of food that would carry them through the week, but we would hope it would carry them over until they can find a stable means.”

Shelley Barnes and her five children turned to the Eddie Davis Center for help years ago. She couldn't have found a better place to go. 

"When you come here they don't ask you a million questions," Barnes said. "They just get you the help that you need. You feel like a person here, it's what can we do to help you." 

Now she volunteers at the community center almost every day.

Qiana Campbell only has one day off a week, but every chance she gets, she heads to the Eddie Davis Center. Campbell, who lives in Des Moines, brings her son in on Thursday afternoons to do whatever she can to help out. 

"My husband recently had open heart surgery," Campbell said. "Coming down here and helping others keeps my mind off it." 

For Campbell, it's important that she brings her children with her. 

"This is the place where I want my children to be," Campbell said. "I want them to realize that it's not all about them, it's about helping others." 

Long-Hill said the center has seen a steady trend the last three years of more people coming in who need clothing and food.

“Our shelves are going bare,” she said, as was the case in late September after a run on the pantry wiped out supplies of cereal and most canned foods.

Long-Hill said in the past the center would receive food from the Food Bank of Iowa. The need has become so great now that center employees must dip into the general fund to keep the shelves stocked.

The center receives money from grants, donations, trusts and the city of West Des Moines. It also receives product or food donations from individuals and groups, including St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church’s Faith and Grace Garden, which provides the center with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Meals offered
The center also offers a free daily lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. from mid-September through May, as well as an evening meal from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The evening meals are done in collaboration with West Des Moines Human Services.

More people are taking part in the free meals, Long-Hill said. At the beginning of last year, about 10 people regularly ate lunch. That number grew to 25 by the end of the lunch cycle. Anywhere from 30 to 60 people attend the evening meals.

The center also distributes holiday baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas that include turkey or ham, as well as all of the fixings for the holiday meal.

Other ways to help
Also located at the center, but operated independently, is the Mae E. Davis Free Medical Clinic. It is open from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays.

Eddie Davis Community Center does not provide monetary assistance to help with utilities or rent, but Long-Hill said center employees work with people who need help to refer them to the appropriate agencies, including West Des Moines Human Services.

“There seems to be an increase of people quite concerned about their situation, and we try to do everything we can and assure them that we’re always there to provide the type of services we can,” she said.

The Eddie Davis Community Center, 1312 Maple St. Call 277-1103 for more information. The center offers:

• Clothing closet and food pantry.
• The Mae E. Davis Free Medical Clinic, which is open from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays.
• Summer educational programs for children.
• A computer lab and law library.
• Free lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. from mid-September through May; free evening meals are from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

If you missed the first part of this story, read it here.