Opportunities From: United Way of Central Iowa

When a resident moves in, we are excited to greet and show them to their apartment where they will find a laundry basket filled with all of the essentials they need to feel supported on their first day home. However, we are running low on many of the items needed listed below! Would you consider donating these items for our new friends? Please contact Nicholas.drahozal@dmymca.org for details.

The following items are used in a Welcome Home Care Basket: 

Contact Nicholas.Drahozal@Dmymca.org to coordinate a volunteer shift! If you are volunteering with Des Moines Corporate Games please include that in the message.

Sandwiches can be dropped off at 2 SW 9th Street, Des Moines, IA on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. They are distributed directly to residents the following day.

The YMCA Supportive Housing Campus provides permanent supportive housing rooted in hope, dignity, and community. Guided by a housing-first approach, we create a safe, stable place where 140 residents can feel at home and connected to those around them. Together, staff and volunteers work to ensure everyone has a place to call home while supporting personal growth beyond basic needs. Learn more about our campus and our Annual Campaign here: youtu.be/Q40WAdgJg7M?si=wH3cuI4aLs5oECV0 .

T-Shirt Tote Bags are needed to serve families with a pre-packed sack of food at our mobile pantries. We need your help to turn donated T-Shirts into Tote Bags using our provided instructions (link below). 

Instructions: https://www.foodbankiowa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DIY-TShirt-Tote.pdf

Literacy Kits are used at early childhood centers and schools throughout central Iowa to help students in kindergarten through fifth grade learn and love to read.

Our Literacy Kits were designed by experts to focus on the skills young children need when learning to read while, at the same time, diving deeper into the book and its themes.

Each Literacy Kit includes:

If you would like to purchase literacy kits as an activity for your group, the first step is to contact us.

Next, we will help you decide which book title you would like to purchase and how many kits you need. The cost is $8 per kit. This covers the cost of the book and the materials needed to make a kit. On average, volunteers can make one to two kits per hour.

We have the following books available for purchase:

If you would like to see more details on these titles, please visit LITERACY KITS | United Way of Central Iowa (unitedwaydm.org)

Then, we arrange the pickup of your materials (or we can deliver). 

You and your volunteers then complete the Literacy Kit activity on-site at your business, home, church, school, club, etc. You can choose the timeframe for the activity, as well. We have an ongoing need for the kits. 

Next, you return the completed kits to United Way. Then we distribute them to nonprofits, child care centers, and after-school programs. 

To sign up for this volunteer opportunity, please visit LITERACY KITS | United Way of Central Iowa (unitedwaydm.org). To make the volunteer experience as easy and convenient, United Way offers an online volunteer sign-up. 

For additional questions, contact Sarah Underwood, Volunteer Engagement Manager at sarah.underwood@unitedwaydm.org or 515-246-2504.

United Way of Central Iowa is committed to supporting those in our community who have been impacted by COVID-19 and those who may be impacted by unforeseen economic conditions. Show people in central Iowa how much you care and how much they matter by writing a note — or more — of encouragement. 

United Way will share your messages with our nonprofit partners who are serving the individual people and families in the categories you have to choose from in the form to the right, including healthcare, nonprofit frontline workers providing food and basic needs, seniors in care facilities who can't see family, and kids whose school and out-of-school programming are new and different. These people need the time and positivity you have to give. They need your encouragement right now.

Write a quick note to thank and encourage people in your community — your neighbors, friends or maybe even your co-workers — who are helping to keep our community safe during this time, or to someone vulnerable in the community who may have fallen on hard times, or is feeling isolated and lonely. You can submit a note online using our virtual note form on this page.

Here are a sample messages to help get you started: