How We Handle Clothing Distributions

Hope Ministries has served the homeless and hungry in Des Moines and Central Iowa since 1915. In recent years our unique long-term residential and life recovery centers have served men, women and children from all corners of the State of Iowa.

Our facilities include:

• Bethel Mission
• Door of Faith
• Hope Family Center
• Hope Café
• Hope Bargain and Community Outreach Center


Hope Ministries is blessed to have the support and partnership of over 250 churches from throughout the State of Iowa and from over a dozen separate Christian denominations.

In addition, we are thankful for the support of businesses and civic and service organizations that recognize our value to the community through our food, clothing, shelter, and recovery services for homeless and hungry men, women and children.

Below are four separate sections outlining how we have ALWAYS managed clothing and winter wear donations and the high priority we place on stewardship and integrity through our internal policies and procedures.

We welcome your questions and comments by calling us at (515) 265-7272 or through e-mail at info@hopeiowa.org.

• Section One: Managing General Clothing Donations
• Section Two: Managing Donations From Organized Clothing Drives
• Section Three: Managing the Distribution of Winter Wear


Section One: Managing General Clothing Donations

We are thankful for donations of slightly used clothing. We manage those donations as follows:

1. Hope Ministries shelters between 150 and 265 homeless men, women and children every night. We have always provided free clothing to our shelter and recovery residents through vouchers that are issued by our case managers and program staff. Vouchers for free clothing (including winter wear) are redeemed at our Hope Bargain Center where staff and volunteers assist our shelter and recovery guests with their clothing needs. We also maintain an on-site clothes closet at our Bethel Mission emergency shelter offering free clothes including winter wear for homeless men.

2. Hope Ministries sponsors King's Closet a program that provides FREE clothing to hundreds of individuals and families each month through our clothing voucher extension program currently offered to 14 local social service agencies and ten local churches who have registered for the service. King's Closet free clothing vouchers are issued by the participating agencies and churches to their clients and members when they determine the need. King's Closet vouchers (including winter wear) are redeemed at our Hope Bargain Center where our staff and volunteers assist our voucher guests with their clothing needs.

3. For years Hope Ministries has opened our on-site clothes closet located at our Bethel Mission facility two times each day (except Sundays) to anyone in the community (not just shelter residents) who need clothes (for both men and women). Those times are once in the morning from 9:00-9:30 a.m. and once in the evening from 6:00-6:30 p.m., no strings attached.

4. Donations of unsolicited donations of clothing is sorted by volunteers and displayed for sale at our Hope Bargain Center – a thrift store - which provides quality low-cost used clothing to the general public for purchase. Revenue generated through the sale of this clothing is used to supplement support for our services to the homeless including our food, shelter and recovery programs.

5. As with most all thrift operations, excess donations of clothing may from time to time exceed our ability (through limited staff and volunteers) to process the volume. Our recycling program enables us to manage the excess by re-distribution to other outlets including to other countries where there is also a need for clothing.

Section Two: Managing Donations from Organized Clothing Drives

Hope Ministries is thankful to churches, businesses, and civic and service organizations for helping us tend to the needs of the homeless and hungry.

One way they partner with us is by sponsoring an organized donation drive. An organized donation drive is an effort where a church or other group calls upon their members or others affiliated with their organization or company to donate a specific item. Through the participation of their constituency, they are able to involve many others in a group collaboration thereby tending to the needs of the homeless and hungry as an outreach partnership through Hope Ministries.

There is a list of optional donation drives outlined on our website. Some organized donation drives could include items such as paper products, underwear, diapers, socks, coats and other winter wear, hygiene items, food, etc.

These donation drives are coordinated with our Hope Ministries staff. Upon the completion of the drive arrangements are made with the group for delivery to one or more of our shelters, recovery centers or our Hope Community Outreach donation center depending on the ministry-wide need at the time.

Hope Outreach Center is a multi-use facility. One function is to serve as a storage and re-distribution center for our ministry. At the Center, items from organized donation drives are often segregated and "protected" from all other donations depending on the type and purpose of the drive.

For example, organized donation drives that are specifically set-up for the purpose of winter-wear give away (such as our ONE WARM COAT drive) including coats, mittens, hats, boots and gloves are set aside (segregated) and NEVER sold in our Bargain Center (thrift store).

Hope Ministries has for many years sponsored winter-wear give-away days where clothing is distributed FREE with no strings attached. In recent years, this has occurred at our Hope Café where we serve meals to the general community. In fact, December 19th is one of our scheduled events for winter wear give away for our noon meal guests where a local corporation is partnering with us in distributing items from their coat and winter wear donation drive. Christmas Day is another scheduled annual winter wear give away. We serve hundreds of families who will also receive a free meal, a Hope Box, a hand-made quilt and toys for their children.

• Through unsolicited donations
• Through organized donation drives
• Through partnerships with local businesses i.e. One Warm Coat Drive.

We have specific policies and procedures to manage the distribution of winter wear. After many years of experience these policies were put in place to respond to needs of those we serve, protect our shelter residents and our donating public and to exercise prudent stewardship practices.

Managing Unsolicited Donations of Winter Wear

We manage unsolicited donations of winter wear as outlined in section one above.

Managing Organized Donation Drives Involving Winter Wear

We manage organized donation drives involving winter wear as outlined in section two above.

Managing Coat Drives With Local Businesses

One of our major annual coat drive corporate partnerships is with ONE WARM COAT and Burlington Coat Factory. This would fall under the category of an organized coat drive as outline in section two above.

We have very strict policies and procedures in place to segregate any and all coats and other winter wear collected through this drive. These items are NEVER sold at our Hope Bargain Center. They are re-distributed through our winter wear give away events, our King's Closet network and to our shelter and recovery resident voucher programs as outlined in section one and two above.

We invite you to call us with questions about any of our programs and services.

Click here to view photos of previous winter wear and coat distributions