Author Archives: merlehayadmin

Help MHNA Keep the Kids Warm

The Merle Hay Neighborhood Association is once again collecting clothing donations for elementary school children through our Keep the Kids Warm program. There is time to donate, and your help is greatly appreciated.

This year, we are collecting winter clothing for students at Hillis Elementary School. Donations of new coats, boots, stocking hats, gloves, and mittens are welcome. The following sizes are needed: Coats (boys and girls): 6/6x, 7/8, 10/12, 16 or 18. Boots (boys and girls): 1, 2, and 3.

For more information about the clothing drive or to make a donation, contact Kathy Battles by email at kmbattles@msn.com, or 515.865.3040. If you would like to drop your monetary or clothing donations at Kathy’s home due to COVID-19, please feel free to do so. Her home address is 2729 62nd St., and she will be happy to collect everything for the kids at Hillis. Please call ahead. The deadline to donate is Saturday, November 21.

Pay MHNA Dues with PayPal

MHNA dues are now payable using PayPal. If you have a PayPal account, paying your annual dues is as simple as sending a payment to MHNA’s email address: merlehayneighborhood@gmail.com. Amounts for annual dues are $15 for individuals, $30 for a couple, $30 for a business, and $10 for a school or church.

MHNA Meeting on October 15

MHNA will host its next quarterly meeting on the Zoom platform at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday October 15. Please make sure your membership dues are current and we have a current email address for you so we can send you the Zoom meeting credentials.

We expect to be joined by Ward I City Councilman Bill Gray, who will share updates on city issues in our neighborhood and elsewhere in northwest Des Moines. We are also trying to line up a forester to share information and field questions about tree care and planting in the aftermath of the derecho that ripped through Iowa in August and destroyed thousands of trees.

We also expect to have public safety updates from our Neighborhood Based Service Delivery officer, along with a host of other neighborhood updates.

Please mark your calendars and join us via Zoom on October 15! We plan to live-stream the meeting on the neighborhood Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MerleHayNeighborhood.

MHNA’s July 16 Meeting Moves to Zoom

The COVID-19 pandemic has once again thrown a wrench in plans to host an in-person quarterly meeting, so we’re taking it online in July. Please mark your calendars for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16. Active members can join us via Zoom, and those who follow MHNA on Facebook can also watch the meeting live at www.facebook.com/MerleHayNeighborhood .

Management at the Northwest Community Center recently informed the MHNA board that rentals for meetings and other events are canceled at least through the end of August. To avoid missing another quarterly meeting, the MHNA board voted to try an online meeting. We plan to have At-Large City Councilwoman Connie Boesen as our primary guest speaker. One or more candidates for the Broadlawns Hospital Board of Trustees are also expected to introduce themselves. We also expect to hear public safety updates from our Neighborhood Based Service Delivery officer.

Details are still being fleshed out and we ask for everyone’s patience and understanding if there are technical difficulties. Please email us at merlehayneighborhood@gmail.com if there are any questions.

NFC Lending is Back in Merle Hay!

The Neighborhood Finance Corporation has been in the process of expanding its lending programs in the Merle Hay area and MHNA was informed in June that NFC lending is back in the entire neighborhood! NFC is a non-profit lender that aids neighborhood revitalization and homeownership via first mortgages, forgivable home repair loans, and more. To see NFC’s lending areas and learn more about their programs, visit NeighborhoodFinance.org, or call 515-246-0010.

The program enjoyed great success the last time it was available in the whole neighborhood. Let’s do even better this time. Please help spread
the word!