The Connection Café has served the hungry and homeless in downtown Des Moines since 2004. Five days a week it offers free lunch and a place to gather in community over the mid-day meal to more than 100 guests. (During the current health crisis, only sack lunches for take-away are being served in the inner courtyard at St. John’s Lutheran Church.)

With only one paid staff coordinator, The Connection Café relies on the generosity of volunteers to provide and prepare the food and help serve. Donations of food, supplies, personal care items, bus tokens, and cash are put to immediate use. Cash donations purchase food items and supplies necessary for serving. The need for assistance for marginalized communities is great in the Des Moines metro, and The Connection Café serves a critically important role. The Connection Café operates under the auspices of The Bridge, a 501c3 non-profit ecumenical organization comprised of the four downtown churches: St. John’s Lutheran Church, St. Ambrose Catholic Cathedral, First United Methodist, and the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Episcopal. Volunteer groups providing and serving lunch come from more than 50 congregations in greater Des Moines. For more information about The Connection Café, please visit their website .

Checks can be written to “The Connection Café” or to “DMIEC” with “First Sunday” in the memo line. We would prefer that all checks be mailed to DMIEC at P.O. Box 30065, Des Moines, IA 50310. If you mail your check directly to the organization, please inform Ed Arnold of the amount, if you feel comfortable, so the Social Justice Committee can get an accurate count of DMIEC’s combined donations.  Thank you for your continued generosity!