More Than Food: Creating Pathways to Health, Opportunity, and Belonging

When KADI – Knock and Drop Iowa started in my garage during the COVID-19 pandemic, the goal was simple: make sure families had food.

What I didn't realize then was that food would become the bridge to something much bigger.

Over the past year as a HealthConnect Fellow, I have learned that food insecurity is rarely just about food.  The families we serve face challenges that are deeply connected—healthcare access, transportation, language barriers, economic hardship, and fear.  A box of groceries may address an immediate need, but it does not solve the systems that created that need.

That realization has changed how KADI approaches our work.

My commitment to this work comes from personal experience.  Growing up, I often served as a translator and advocate for my mother as she navigated healthcare systems, schools, and other institutions that were not always designed for families like ours.  I saw firsthand how language barriers, lack of information, and fear could prevent people from accessing the resources they needed.  Those experiences taught me that the challenge is rarely a lack of willingness—it is often a lack of access.  Today, those lessons continue to shape how I lead KADI and how I think about systems change.

Today, families who come to KADI for food can also access health education, vaccines, baby formula, family resources, and connections to community services.  Through partnerships with healthcare providers, local health departments, Family Planning Council of Iowa, Supply Hive, Polk County, DMARC, the Food Bank of Iowa, and many others, we have transformed food distribution into a trusted entry point for better health.

One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is the opening of KADI's Multicultural Food Pantry.  What began in a garage has grown into a community-centered space made possible through the support and collaboration of Polk County, DMARC, Food Bank of Iowa, United Way, volunteers, and community partners.  The pantry is more than a place to receive food—it is a place where families can access resources, build relationships, and connect to services that improve their overall well-being.

This year alone, our community events provided access to flu, HPV, MMR, polio, Hepatitis A and B, DTaP, Tdap, varicella, and meningococcal vaccines.  We expanded cervical cancer and HPV education, increased health outreach, and launched a home delivery program through our partnership with Supply Hive that serves seniors, individuals with disabilities, and families facing transportation or medical barriers.

None of this happens alone.

One of the most important lessons I have learned is that partnerships are not optional—they are essential.  No single organization can solve food insecurity, improve health outcomes, or address the barriers families face every day.  Real change requires healthcare providers, nonprofits, public agencies, schools, businesses, and community leaders working together toward a shared goal.

At the same time, partnership is more than showing up to a meeting or putting a logo on a flyer.  True partnership requires action, accountability, and a willingness to listen to the communities most affected by the challenges we are trying to solve.  Community organizations cannot carry the weight of systemic issues by themselves.  We need institutions, funders, and decision-makers who are willing to move beyond conversation and invest in solutions that create lasting change.

The biggest lesson I have learned is that trust is one of the most important forms of infrastructure a community can have.

Families often come for food, but they return because they know they will be treated with dignity, respect, and understanding.  Trust opens doors that programs alone cannot.

That lesson followed me to Washington, DC, where I met with policymakers and congressional staff to discuss food insecurity, healthcare access, and the barriers facing immigrant and refugee families.  Those conversations reinforced something I see every day: community voices matter.  The people closest to the challenges are often closest to the solutions.

Food may bring people through our doors, but the real work is creating pathways to health, opportunity, and belonging.

Systems change is not about one organization doing more.  It is about all of us doing our part, working together, and holding ourselves accountable to the communities we serve.

That is what systems change looks like to me—not simply feeding families today, but building stronger systems that help them thrive tomorrow.

To learn more about Knock and Drop Iowa visit: https://www.knockanddropiowa.org/ or the Multicultural Food Pantry visit: 3010 6th Ave. Des Moines, IA 50313.  Email us at info@knockanddropiowa.org

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