Community

A montage shows Zuli Garcia in a large room with food bags and boxes all over, along with other workers helping. Zuli interviews. Upbeat music plays throughout.

ZULI: Today we got some corn directly from a farmer. So that's really nice. I'm Zuli Garcia, the founder of Knock and Drop Iowa. I work for the Des Moines Police Department and I'm usually the go-to person for the Latino community.

Zuli interviews in a chair in the large room. White text over a blue ribbon appears in the lower left of the screen.

ON SCREEN TEXT:            Zuli Garcia

                                           Founder

                                           Knock and Drop Iowa

ZULI: I was getting phone calls during the pandemic of community members saying, "I'm getting laid off and I don't know how I'm going to put food on the table." So I started calling food pantries around and realized that there was a barrier. Not only was there a language barrier for some of them, but also culturally specific food barrier.

The video montage shows a delivery truck back door opening and a man taking boxes and food out of the truck and bringing them into the large room. Zuli continues speaking.

ZULI: A food pantry should be an uplift and not a put me down because people are already going through a hard time at that moment and that's when I decided, okay, we're going to do a project, a six-month project. And here we are years later, now we have a full nonprofit.

Endi Montalvo-Martinez interviews in the large room. White text over a blue ribbon appears in the lower left of the screen.

ON SCREEN TEXT:            Endi Montalvo-Martinez

                                           Healthy Equity Coordinator,

                                           Knock and Drop lowa

ENDI: These boxes are going to mobile families, families who can't come on Wednesdays for normal food pantry.

A montage shows Zuli walking in the large room pointing out various food as well as other workers packing and delivering food.

ZULI: This is all from like a local Latino farmer. What we really push is more of the fresh produce. So we partner with the right folks like a local farmer. He brought things that we're used to eating at home that people feel like this is a welcoming space for them. Tell me when you want us to bring kits.

A montage shows workers handing out food and families receiving food.

ZULI: Every Wednesday we can service anywhere between 250 to 300 families. On a hot meal event, we can service anywhere between 500 and 600 families.

A montage shows Endi bringing kits of food to the truck, loading them up and then driving to deliver the food.

ZULI: We service not just in the metro areas, but we also go into the rural areas.

ENDI: It started as addressing food as a central need, but then understanding that food is just one dimension of health.

A woman shows a group of children the library. We then see children reading books.

[Woman speaking in Spanish]

ZULI: We also have a partnership with Des Moines Public Library because we want kids to read every day.

WOMAN: As we come further down, we'll have resume building.

The video shows Catherine Pollard interviewing in a classroom. We then see her interacting and helping people at tables. White text over a blue ribbon appears in the lower left of the screen.

ON SCREEN TEXT:            Catherine Pollard

                                           AmeriCorps Member, RIVA

CATHERINE: I'm setting up for our clients that attend the food pantry to encourage them to walk away with a fully functional resume that they can use to apply for jobs.

ZULI: Reading with the kids, resume building with the parents, it all helps them to have a better future for tomorrow. The health screenings, they'll be offering glucose testing and high blood pressure testing.

A montage shows a woman getting a blood pressure test and a man administering a glucose test.

ZULI: We give them some information if they want to be referred to a local clinic.

Jimmy Reyes interviews at the glucose testing table. White text over a blue ribbon appears in the lower left of the screen.

ON SCREEN TEXT:            Jimmy Reyes, DNP

                                           Volunteer

                                           Professor, University of Northern Iowa

JIMMY: We have screened about 563 participants since about a year ago. We want to make sure that we can provide a one-stop shop so that way they can feel comfortable getting screened.

A montage shows people in the large room handing out and receiving food. Zuli continues speaking.

ZULI: Without the support from amazing volunteers and each of our partners that we have out there, especially UnitedHealthcare, because they gave us an amazing sponsorship, none of this would be possible. Unfortunately, our line keeps getting longer every single Wednesday, and we're sure that today there was way over 300 families. Our main goal is making sure that people feel comfortable and in a better position, better education, where they can enrich the community as a whole and they have a better, healthier lifestyle.

The blue lines wiggle on the screen to form a “U”. Blue text appears over a white background. Music fades.

ON SCREEN TEXT:            United

                                           Healthcare

                                           There for what matters^tm

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