Opportunities From: Volunteer Iowa

We are in need of people willing to package groceries and carry groceries for people needing assistance.

We realize people are busy so we schedule our volunteers for one Saturday each month.

We need people to greet families when they arrive, sack groceries, stock shelves, and carry out groceries.

Volunteers of all ages help prepare the meals on Monday and Thursday evenings from 2:00-5:00 PM. We are looking for volunteers available to assist in preparing food between 2:00 and 5:00. Volunteers can choose the amount of time they are present. Choose one day a week or multiple days a month to volunteer. Other food prep days/times can be arranged.

For more information, please contact us at foodatfirstnevadaia@gmail.com.

Volunteers of all ages help pack free meals for our community on Monday and Thursday evenings from 4:30-6:00 PM. We are always looking for volunteers who are interested in helping us fight hunger in our community. Limited time available? We are flexible and willing to work with your availability.

For more information, please contact us at foodatfirstnevadaia@gmail.com.

Volunteers are needed to help deliver free meals to neighborhood locations. Nevada Food at First is seeking volunteer drivers for the outlying towns in eastern Story County. Meals are picked up in Nevada between 4:30-6:00 PM and delivered to designated drop-off locations. Drivers are currently needed in Nevada, Maxwell, Collins, Zearing, and McCallsburg. Choose one day a week or multiple days a month to volunteer.

For more information, please contact us at foodatfirstnevadaia@gmail.com.

We are in need of a CPA for our annual audit. Further information can be provided upon request. Please email foodatfirstnevadaia@gmail.com for more information.

Volunteers are needed to help sort and weigh food rescue items once they are dropped off by volunteers. You will be making it possible for us to use the rescued food for community meals on Mondays and Thursdays.

Volunteers are needed to pick up food that would otherwise be discarded. Food is transported to the Nevada First United Methodist Church where it is weighed and safely stored until distribution to area food pantries can be arranged. Training is provided. Choose one day a week or multiple days a month to volunteer. 

For more information, please contact us at foodatfirstnevadaia@gmail.com.

Mustard Seed Community Farm is looking for 2-3 volunteers to help with outside planting tasks on Tuesday or Friday afternoons.

We'll prepare the beds for planting (which could entail hauling manure or compost), plant peas, spinach, potatoes, maybe trees, and digging up carrots for you to take home.

If you have time to share, MSCF welcomes your help!  

On Wednesdays from 8am to noon, Mustard Seed Community Farm is looking for volunteers to help with pulling weeds, mulching vegetable beds, and assisting with various other farm related tasks. Come for an hour or stay for the entire four. Whatever time you can give is greatly appreciated!

Weeding is fun -   It makes the veggies so happy!

 and these happy vegetables will go to feed many people who need healthy nutritious food.

HARVEST WORKSHARE - Volunteer 3 hours during our harvest times and take home a large box of mixed vegetables.

The WORKSHARE shift is 7am-10am either Tuesday or Friday, from mid-May through mid-October. We have options for people to sign up as regular workers (that come almost every week) and intermittent workers who come when they are able. We love both kinds, especially if you communicate your scheduling needs with us so that we are not surprised!

During the three hour shift, we will harvest all the vegetables that are ripe on the farm, wash and pack them for distribution. Each worker will be able to take home a full box of vegetables. Usually, there is time at the end of the shift to do some other farm task while the washers finish packing the vegetables.  This food is also shared with local food pantries, hospitality houses, and families in need.

There will be a crew of about 7-10 people all working together on this harvest and while we work hard, we also have a lot of fun together. Carpooling is highly recommended and there is usually a carpool coming from Ames every harvest morning. We get to see each other every week, do meaningful work together, be in a beautiful place, and by the end of the season we are quite a team.

These harvests are essential to the functioning of our farm, and we will work in many kinds of weather. Please come to your shift no matter what the forecast (unless it’s a tornado warning! – then wait for the storm to pass) and dress for the weather. The farm has some available rain gear, but your own might be better. We will work outside in light rain, and find indoor work while there is lightning. We start so early in the morning because this is the time that the vegetables are at their most plump and delicious, and in midsummer, it is also the most pleasant time for working. Remember, it is windier on the farm than in town and in the morning it can be very dewy and cool.

HARVEST WORKSHARE - Volunteer 3 hours during our harvest times and take home a large box of mixed vegetables.

The WORKSHARE shift is 7am-10am either Tuesday or Friday, from mid-May through mid October. We have options for people to sign up as regular workers (that come almost every week) and intermittent workers who come when they are able. We love both kinds, especially if you communicate your scheduling needs with us so that we are not surprised!

During the three hour shift, we will harvest all the vegetables that are ripe on the farm, wash and pack them for distribution. Each worker will be able to take home a full box of vegetables. Usually, there is time at the end of the shift to do some other farm task while the washers finish packing the vegetables.  This food is also shared with local food pantries, hospitality houses, and families in need.

There will be a crew of about 7-10 people all working together on this harvest and while we work hard, we also have a lot of fun together. Carpooling is highly recommended and there is usually a carpool coming from Ames every harvest morning. We get to see each other every week, do meaningful work together, be in a beautiful place, and by the end of the season we are quite a team.

These harvests are essential to the functioning of our farm, and we will work in many kinds of weather. Please come to your shift no matter what the forecast (unless it’s a tornado warning! – then wait for the storm to pass) and dress for the weather. The farm has some available rain gear, but your own might be better. We will work outside in light rain, and find indoor work while there is lightning. We start so early in the morning because this is the time that the vegetables are at their most plump and delicious, and in midsummer, it is also the most pleasant time for working. Remember, it is windier on the farm than in town and in the morning it can be very dewy and cool.

We are always looking for people to help work in the garden.  Tasks include watering, weeding, harvesting and general up keep like weed eating and mulch maintenance.  

The Salvation Army needs your help with our Food Pantry & Doing the Most Good Market from 12:30 to 3:30. Our Pantry is open Monday - Friday. You can choose one day or multiple days to volunteer. 

Your role is to prepackage the food for our guests. This will include bending, lifting and walking to accomplish this role. When/if there is a lull, you can help in other areas like stocking shelves, cleaning up the spaces, etc.

If you are interested, please call The Salvation Army of Story County at 515-233-3567 or email Lori.Stern@usc.salvationarmy.org

The Salvation Army needs your help with our Food Pantry & Doing the Most Good Market from 10:00am-12:30pm Tuesday - Thursday each week. You can choose one or multiple days.

Your role is to help us prepare for the upcoming day, including accepting gleaned donations from stores, sorting through both the older and new foods to assure it is edible, putting food away, prepackaging boxes of foods we donate to other pantries/partners and so on. When/if there is a lull, you can help in other areas like stocking shelves, cleaning up the spaces, etc.

If you are interested, please call The Salvation Army of Story County at 515-233-3567 or email Lori.Stern@usc.salvationarmy.org

Volunteers are needed on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month to deliver food packages from MICA's food pantry to neighbors in need.

Delivery times are flexible based on volunteer availbility on those days.  Substitute volunteers are needed as well. 

Volunteer Application

Mid Iowa Community Action is seeking volunteers to help in their food pantry in Ames on an ongoing basis depending on volunteer availability.   Volunteers are needed on a daily basis, Monday-Friday anytime between 8:30-4:30 as available.  Volunteers under the age of 18 must volunteer with an adult.

MICA will conduct a background with all potential volunteers.

Below are some potential volunteer jobs in the food pantry, though subject to change based on volunteer needs:

Front office: phones, greeting, scheduling appointments, food box/ bagging (on days not choice), other office duties as assigned

You will have the chance to interact with families of the community with providing warm greetings and providing information, as well as scheduling face-to-face appointments. You will also be speaking to individuals on the phone answering questions and concerns to help provide them with services and resources they need. With the amount of families who rely on food pantry, you will help immensely by preparing pre-made bags and boxes of household groceries for families in need on MICA’s non-choice pantry days. Every day is never the same though and we may need your help anywhere else in our offices.

Choice pantry check out: bags items for families, may help take to car/load up, checks items to make sure numbers are reached, faces product and stocks as needed (some heavy lifting)

With the implementation of MICA’s new choice pantry option, we are in need of individuals who may help us manage the transition. You will help supervise and check items taken by families, making sure that each family is taking the correct amount of food and that numbers are being reached. This may include loading cars for individuals in need of assistance, as well as assuring that all pantry shelves are stocked and ready for the next family, so be prepared for some heavy lifting!

Stockers: stocks shelves, faces product, creates bags for non-choice days, unloads carts (heavier lifting)

With MICA’s ability to serve everyone in Story County, we are in need of individuals who may maintain and flow of or food pantry by ensuring that they are stocked and loaded at all times, so some heavy lifting may be involved. This position will allow management and organization of materials, along with the responsibility to help make household bags of groceries, unload carts from donors, and faces product. All help is welcome!

Volunteers at MICA's Family Development office primarily help with the food pantry - everything from receiving and tracking donations to sorting and packing them into food boxes ready for different sized families to pick up.  Some volunteers also help at the front desk with answering the phone, greeting visitors, scheduling appointments, giving out food boxes, and helping connect families with the appropriate staff person for their question.  Volunteers come in at a regular time on an ongoing basis - usually an hour or so per week on the same day/time, but some volunteers come multiple days per week or stay for longer if their schedule allows.

We are looking for clothing sorters Monday-Saturday!

Volunteer Clothing Sorters:

Let us know if you want to join our clothing team today!

Overflow Thrift Store is looking for some help 2 hours or more per week in the housewares Department.  Duties would include stocking the store with housewares and straightening and organizing items as needed. The Housewares department is good sized and has quite a few categories but can easily be learned. Housewares includes picture frames, pots and pans, baskets, sporting good, DIY, vases and more.  

We have opened a second location in Ames and both of our locations sell housewares-so volunteers are needed at both locations.  Thank you for considering-volunteering in housewares is a great way to help out and it's also a great way to decorate your own home! Our affordable prices make it easier for our customers to afford and our volunteers can make purchases as well.

We have a great group of volunteers who test our electronics.  The next step is pricing the electronics. You will be provided with a pricing guide and your own station.  Special items can be looked up on Ebay, then priced according to our special pricing guide. It's actually pretty interesting to see all of the different types of electronics that come through the electronics station! Come join the fun-you will be a huge blessing to our community, to our staff and to the missions that we serve.   

Heartland Senior Services has many opportunities for volunteers. An ongoing need is for volunteers to deliver hot, nutritious meals to seniors in their homes over the noon hour in specific areas of Story County. Volunteers pick up the meals at a specified location after 10:30 am and deliver the meals to individuals in their homes. A list of recipients and directions are provided. 

We would love to inspire anyone to come down to Des Moines or a box pack if they are willing and able!

Please visit our website for up to date information regarding our efforts related to COVID-19. Donate today to help ensure we reach the kids out of school or workers with altered schedules. Volunteers are also in high need so please consider signing up for a shift.