The Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry Network set a new record for the number of people assisted in April, serving 25,209, according to a news release.

April was the second-busiest month on record dating back nearly 50 years, and the 25,209 served marked about a 30% increase compared with April 2023, when 19,305 received assistance.

The food pantry network served 14,394 in April 2022 and 10,319 in April 2021.

Five of the past six months now rank among the busiest of all time for the DMARC Food Pantry Network, the release said.

“This summer, it’s imperative we don’t become numb to the crisis that continues to unfold in our community,” DMARC CEO Matt Unger said in a prepared statement. “We will inevitably see nearly 25,000 youths, [ages 0 to 17], utilize the DMARC Food Pantry Network in 2024, and these families are pushed even further in the summers when school is out.”

While the need for food assistance continues to rise, 1 in 6 Iowa families with at least one full-time worker earns too little to meet a basic-needs housing budget, according to a Common Good Iowa report released in March.

The DMARC Food Pantry Network includes 14 permanently placed pantry sites, multiple mobile food pantry locations and a home delivery program.

Once per month, people can select a three-day supply of food from any one of DMARC’s partner food pantries, and anytime items are available whenever the partner pantries are open.