Category Archives: General Updates

MHNA Quarterly Meeting & Supper on Oct. 21

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What’s better than being able to meet in person for the first time in over a year? There will be food! Please make plans to join MHNA at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 21 for our quarterly meeting and annual supper at the Northwest Community Center, 5110 Franklin Ave.

Please note that the Northwest Community Center requires visitors to wear masks due to the pandemic, though masks may be removed while people eat.

If you would like to bring a soup, side, or dessert, please call or text April (Beck) Wyss at (515) 707-6386. We’re also going to try a recipe swap this year. If you have a recipe you would like to share with neighbors, please bring a minimum of 10-15 copies.

The meeting portion will begin at 6:30 p.m. and feature neighborhood news, public safety updates, and a city update from Ward 1 City Councilman Bill Gray. Candidates for local offices in the November election will also be allowed 2-3 minutes to introduce themselves. Barring technological difficulties, we will try to livestream the meeting on the MHNA Facebook page for those who cannot attend in person.

We will also have public safety updates and neighborhood news.

Please mark your calendars and tell your neighbors!

Help MHNA Fight Hunger!

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2020 was a hard year for all of us and 2021 has started out as a difficult one as well. Many of our neighbors and friends in Des Moines are still struggling to put enough food on the table for their families. We can’t get together in person, but MHNA would like to hold a fundraiser to support the Food Bank of Iowa, DMARC Food Pantry, and the two Little Free Pantries in our neighborhood.

After a discussion with the MHNA board and input from several members, it was decided that we can donate money (cash or check) or food items to MHNA and those donations will be split between 4 organizations:

  • Food Bank of Iowa
  • DMARC Food Pantry
  • Little Free Pantry box at Immanuel United Methodist Church, 2900 49th St.
  • Little Free Pantry box at Grace Lutheran Church, 5201 Urbandale Ave.  

If donating by check, please make it out to MHNA. Food or money donations can be dropped off to Kathy Battles (2729 62nd St), April Wyss (2800 62nd St), or Kathy Roarty (1340 62nd St). April and Kathy R can also pick up donations if you call/text April Wyss at 515-707-6386 or Kathy Roarty at 402-657-9905. We will be taking donations now through Monday March 15, 2021.

You can also make a donation via PayPal, though we encourage people to pay by cash or check if they’re able so MHNA can avoid processing fees. The following link can be used for PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=DQ3UYMUV8HYFN&source=url

MHNA members are some of the most generous neighbors in our city. Thank you in advance for your help in making this fundraiser a success!

MHNA’s spring meeting set for April 15

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Spring will be here before we know it . . . hopefully. 🙂 While you’re looking ahead to spring, please pencil us in on your calendar for MHNA’s next meeting at 6:30 p.m. on April 15.

Thereafter, we plan to meet on July 15, and October 21.

We anticipate holding online meetings until things improve with the pandemic. Please make sure we have your email address so we can keep you updated. Online meeting invites are sent to active members and we also livestream on our Facebook page, which can be found at: www.facebook.com/MerleHayNeighborhood.

Once we are able to safely resume in-person meetings, we plan to gather at the Northwest Community Center, 5110 Franklin Ave.

Please mark your calendars and help spread the word!

Annual Holiday Lights Contest

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Need a diversion while you’re cooped up at home because of the pandemic? Want $25 to buy some carryout or holiday gifts? Well then, you should decorate your house for the holidays.

The Merle Hay Neighborhood Association will sponsor its 16th annual Holiday Lights contest this winter. Judging will take place in mid-December. If you would like to ensure your house is included in judging, please contact April at 515-707- 6386. Your home or your neighbor’s home may be considered for a prize even if you don’t contact us. Three homes will be awarded a $25 gift card. Judges will be looking for creativity, originality, holiday spirit, neatness and theme coordination.

Checking out holiday lights is a great social-distancing activity while we wait to bid COVID-19 adieu, so we encourage as many people as possible to decorate their homes!

MHNA’s 2021 Calendar

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Everyone’s ready to put 2020 behind them, right? 🙂 Here’s to looking ahead to 2021 and making it a great year in the Merle Hay neighborhood.

MHNA meets on the third Thursday in January, April, July, and October. Unless otherwise noted, the meetings start at 6:30 p.m. The 2021 meetings will be held on January 21, April 15, July 15, and October 21.

We anticipate holding online meetings until things improve with the pandemic. Please make sure we have your email address so we can keep you updated. Online meeting invites are sent to active members and we also livestream on our Facebook page, which can be found at: www.facebook.com/MerleHayNeighborhood.

Once we are able to safely resume in-person meetings, we plan to gather at the Northwest Community Center, 5110 Franklin Ave.

Please mark your calendars and help spread the word!