Volunteers make Iowa great. Here’s how to help, broken down by region

There are plenty of fun and meaningful ways to volunteer in Iowa. Discover how you can make a difference in your area. 

If you’re looking to give back to your community, volunteering your time with a local organization in need is an excellent option. In Iowa, there are a wide variety of volunteer opportunities throughout the state at local food banks, state parks, libraries, hospitals, and more.

If you’re not sure where to start, there are several organizations in Iowa that share volunteer opportunities from multiple establishments on their website, such as Volunteer Iowa. Use the online portal to search for opportunities in your area by clicking the “Use my location to show opportunities near me” link. You can also filter open positions by county. At the time of writing, listed opportunities ranged from hospice volunteer to archivist to kitchen helper.

In addition to resources like Volunteer Iowa, you can also check the websites of national organizations with Iowa outposts, such as Habitat for Humanity and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Here are a few options for Iowans to consider.

American Red Cross Iowa

American Red Cross Iowa volunteer opportunities vary by location but include roles like blood transportation specialist, shelter volunteer, and Disaster Action Team member. The organization offers volunteer training in Central, Eastern, and Northwest Iowa. You can view available opportunities and apply to be a volunteer here.

Habitat for Humanity of Iowa

Habitat for Humanity of Iowa has 20 affiliates in Iowa that serve more than 45 counties in the state. Volunteer opportunities include building and repairing homes and working at ReStore, which sells donated building materials and home furnishings. You can find the Habitat for Humanity of Iowa affiliate nearest you, along with its contact information and website, here.

Food Bank of Iowa

Food Bank of Iowa has more than 700 partner agencies that serve 55 counties in Iowa. The organization’s volunteer centers are located in Des Moines and Ottumwa, and there are several ways you can help out, from food sorting to driving a delivery van to offering support at special events. View all available volunteer opportunities here.

United Ways of Iowa

United Ways of Iowa has a presence in almost half of the counties in the state. Volunteer opportunities vary by location but include tasks like driving seniors to medical appointments, answering calls and mail in the office, and helping people complete their taxes. Find the United Ways location nearest you here.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Nature lovers may find their ideal volunteer opportunity with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Volunteers can assist with state park programming, park clean up, water quality and wildlife monitoring, and more. View all volunteer opportunities here.

Make-A-Wish Iowa

Make dreams come true as a volunteer for Make-A-Wish Iowa. As a wish-granter, the main volunteer role at Make-A-Wish, you’ll meet with families to brainstorm wish ideas, maintain contact throughout the wish process, and help children celebrate their granted wishes.

Other opportunities include acting as a translator, event planning, performing various tasks in the Make-A-Wish office, and skills-based roles for those with experience in interior design, photography, carpentry, and other professions.

If none of the above opportunities appeal to you, keep reading to learn more about some additional places where you can volunteer in the Hawk Eye State, organized by region.

Central Iowa

ChildServe

If you love children, consider volunteering with ChildServe, an organization that helps kids with unique healthcare needs. Volunteers can play games, prepare crafts, offer support at special events, provide administrative assistance, or help out with landscaping or fundraising. Locations include Des Moines, Iowa City, Johnston, and Ames.

Animal Rescue League of Iowa

Volunteer opportunities at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa range from spending time with the animals to acting as an ambassador for the non-profit and spreading awareness in your community. Submit a volunteer application and learn more about the requirements here.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa

If you want to maximize your impact as a volunteer, consider signing up to be a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa. Volunteers, or Bigs, are matched with a Little, who they’ll hang out with for a few hours per month doing anything from visiting a museum to getting ice cream to taking a walk. Learn more about how to become a Big here.

Northern Iowa

Sioux City

Sioux City residents can give back to their community in a myriad of ways. Volunteer opportunities with the city include dog park ambassador, litter pickup, volunteer police or firefighter, park cleanup, and serving on one of the city’s boards or commissions.

Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging

The Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging empowers older individuals to age with confidence and relies on help from volunteers to do so. The tasks you’ll perform as a volunteer may include helping out at one of the organization’s senior centers, performing yard work, heating up meals, or taking out garbage. Those interested in donating their time are encouraged to call 319-874-6892 for more information.

Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation

Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation volunteers can also help elderly individuals in their community by assembling and delivering food boxes to their homes. You can also help brighten a family’s holiday season through the Christmas Adopt-A-Family Program or donate toys and cold-weather accessories like mittens and scarves to children in need.

Eastern Iowa

Cedar Rapids Municipal Volunteer Program

The Cedar Rapids Municipal Volunteer Program offers residents a variety of ways to get involved and give back to their community. Some opportunities include caring for animals at the animal control center, volunteering for the police department, clearing sidewalks of snow and ice, maintaining golf courses, weeding gardens, and working the front desk at the Veterans Memorial Building.

Feed Iowa First

Feed Iowa First exists to combat food insecurity and relies on assistance from volunteers to carry out its mission. Some jobs include washing and prepping produce, harvesting food, weeding, cleaning, maintenance, and translation.

Carnegie-Stout Public Library

Book lovers may find their perfect volunteer match at Carnegie-Stout Public Library. Ongoing opportunities include organizing sections of the library and arranging shelf items in alphabetical or numerical order, dusting and straightening up shelves, delivering library materials to homebound individuals, helping kids sign up for the summer reading program, and interacting with teen advisory group participants.

Southern Iowa

Community Action of Southeast Iowa

Community Action of Southeast Iowa is seeking help from volunteers at its centers in Columbus Junction, Fort Madison, and Burlington. As a volunteer, you can help out in a number of ways, from unloading food truck deliveries to packing food boxes or answering phones. There are also opportunities to help out at local schools, with tasks ranging from washing dishes to maintenance to acting as a classroom reader.

The Arc

The Arc needs volunteers to work directly with clients and help at fundraising events. Client-focused opportunities include helping out at school breaks and summer camps, specialized support groups for kids, and a daycare. Fundraising opportunities include assisting at events like its annual golf tournament.

Guttenberg Hospital

Guttenberg Hospital works with volunteers in a wide variety of ways. If you volunteer at the hospital’s Family Resource Center, you can perform tasks including stocking shelves, packing and delivering food, organizing donations, answering phones, and taking clients to appointments. Outside of the center, you can become a mentor, volunteer at the mobile food pantry, help with fundraising activities, or greet guests at the hospital’s main entrance.

Western Iowa

Santa’s Camp and Wonderland

If you’ve ever wished you could be one of Santa’s helpers, here is your chance. Santa’s Camp and Wonderland recruits volunteers for all sorts of tasks, including being an elf. Elf responsibilities include preparing and serving food, wrapping presents, baking cookies, and supervising activities like cookie decorating.

If you don’t want to be an elf, other opportunities range from building tent platforms and outdoor challenge courses to gardening to fundraising.

Wild Ones Loess Hills

Wild Ones, a non-profit that promotes planting native landscapes, has a Loess Hills chapter that relies heavily on volunteers. The leadership team is made up entirely of volunteers, and it’s always looking for extra help. There are plenty of ways to get involved, ranging from maintaining a community garden to hosting a native seed library to serving on a committee.

Pottawattamie Conservation

Supporting Pottawattamie Conservation parks is a team effort—and volunteers play an important role. As a volunteer, there are many ways you can contribute, including by greeting visitors and registering campers, selling campfire wood, performing park maintenance, assisting with invasive species removal, helping the education staff with school and public programming, providing special events support, and serving as a campground host.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Related: 9 meaningful volunteer opportunities in Des Moines