The demand for food assistance has pushed the state’s largest food bank past a “milestone.” Danny Akright, with the Food Bank of Iowa, says “We now average a distribution of one million pounds of food a month, but even a million pounds is not enough.”

The organization distributes food to about 500 organizations in 55 counties and it has set a new goal. The Food Bank of Iowa wants to double its output and distribute TWO million pounds of food per month. “Throughout Iowa, roughly 375,000 Iowans struggle with food insecurity — the lack of access at all times to enough food to lead an active, healthy life,” Akright says. “More than 121,000 of these Iowans are kids.”

The Food Bank of Iowa was established in 1982, during the Farm Crisis. According to its website, the organization has distributed more than 163 million meals in the past 35 years. The Food Bank of Iowa works with food pantries and homeless shelters as well as veterans organizations and schools. “Food insecurity is pervasive throughout our country, affecting every single county in our state and every other,” Alright says. “It strikes big cities, small towns, suburbs, everywhere. It burdens parents, grandparents, kids, veterans, those struggling with serious health issues.”

The most recent figures from the U-S-D-A indicate about 13 percent of Iowans regularly skip meals because they do not have enough food. The Food Bank of Iowa serves counties in northwest, north central, central, southern and southeast Iowa, including Adair, Adams, Audubon, Carroll, Dallas, Greene, Guthrie, Madison, Union, Taylor and Ringgold Counties.

(Radio Iowa)

The Creston Police Department reports a man from Adair County was arrested early this (Wednesday) morning, on a drug-related charge. 24-year old Zachary Utterback, of Greenfield, was arrested in the 400 block of Cherry Street in Creston, at around 12:45-a.m. He was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and brought to the Union County Jail, where bond was set at $300.

Creston Police arrested 23-year old Troy Clausen, of Greenfield, at around 2-a.m. today (Wednesday), for OWI/1st offense. Clausen was being held in the Union County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

Monday night, Creston Police arrested 47-year old Johnny Agans, of Creston, for Public Intoxication, and 38-year old Lela Churchwell, of Creston, for Simple Assault. Churchwell and Agans were later released from custody on a promise to appear in court.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A woman is hospitalized after being shot by a Des Moines police officer. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says the woman was wounded during an incident shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday. Few details were released initially about what happened.

No officers were hurt during the confrontation. The incident will be investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

MELCHER-DALLAS, Iowa (AP) – A major fire has damaged several buildings in a central Iowa downtown area. The Des Moines Register reports the fire started late Tuesday in Melcher-Dallas and continued to burn into the early morning hours today (Wednesday).

Melcher-Dallas Police Chief Steve Johns says he doesn’t think fireworks caused the fire, but the cause of the blaze hasn’t been determined yet. No injuries were reported, but the building housing That’s My Bag and More is a total loss. The fire also caused extensive damage at a building housing a bar and grill and some apartments.

Melcher-Dallas is a town of about 1,300 people 40 miles southeast of Des Moines. A crowd of about 100 people stood in the town square watching the fire Tuesday night.

No injuries were reported, but there was $2,300 worth of damage done to vehicles during a collision late Tuesday night, in Red Oak. Authorities say 17-year old Pablo Ramosramos, of Red Oak, was backing a 1999 Chevy Blazer out of a driveway at 1705 Eastern Avenue at around 10:30-p.m., when the left rear bumper of his SUV struck the driver’s side door of a legally parked 2011 Dodge Nitro. The car was registered to Mariah Lombard.

Ramosramos was issued a citation for operating a motor vehicle with an expired license.