Volunteer Opportunities at the Urbandale Food Pantry
Help Fight Hunger in Polk County
Volunteers are the foundation of our organization. They keep the shelves stocked, walk alongside clients to find food, travel around Polk County picking up donations, and serve as the face of the Urbandale Food Pantry. Without their unwavering dedication to fighting hunger in our community, we could not serve thousands of our neighbors in need each month. Learn how you can get involved with the Pantry and alleviate hunger in the Des Moines metro.
View Volunteer Application
Get Involved: Volunteer at the Pantry
When you volunteer at the Urbandale Food Pantry, you do so much more than stock shelves and collect donations. Our coalition of over 100 volunteers work tirelessly to give back to hungry families in our community. We encourage anyone looking for a volunteer opportunity to volunteer at the Pantry for a shift and see how giving back can change not only the lives of others, but your own as well. All volunteers must have a current email address to correspond with leadership, read our
Volunteer Policies, and complete a
Civil Rights Training before their first day of volunteering.
View Volunteer Application
Volunteer Responsibilities at the Urbandale Food Pantry:
- Greet clients
- Help clients find food that will make healthy, hearty meals for their family
- Restock and manage shelves
- Travel around Polk County picking up orders from DMARC, Iowa Food Bank, Panera Bread, Wal-Mart, and other community donors
- Collecting food or money for holiday meals
- Performing general office work
- Serving on one of our standing committees
Join Our Teenage Volunteer Program
We encourage teenage volunteers to begin their journey of civic engagement through the Urbandale Food Pantry. High school students who want to get involved or need volunteer hours can sign up for a shift without a guardian present. Teen volunteer hours are available some weekday afternoons and evenings and on Saturday mornings. To sign up for a teen shift please visit volunteersignup.org. If an elementary or middle-school aged child would like to volunteer, there are opportunities with a legal guardian present, when we are closed during normal business hours. If you know of any students interested in this opportunity, they can call the pantry at 515-251-6688. No matter how you get involved, your work goes a long way in making a difference in the lives of people in our community.
Sign up to Volunteer
Grow to Give: Donate Homegrown Food
If you have your own vegetable garden in the growing season, consider planting a little extra and donating the surplus fruits and vegetables to the Food Pantry. When you harvest your abundance, donate the extra to your neighbors in need at the Urbandale Food Pantry. If you enjoy gardening but don't have the space or time to tend your own garden, consider helping the folks at
Urban Harvest, a community garden committed to providing fresh produce to the pantry.
For more information contact Urban Harvest at
office@uhecc.org or
515-278-1371.
