Food-related Volunteer Opportunities

Meals for Hope
Dairy Donors
Meal Greeter Ministry
Sunday Night Sandwich Club
Holiday Meals

If you have a heart for feeding the hungry, Hope Ministries definitely has a volunteer opportunity for you! Whether you wish to prepare and serve a full meal, donate food or help during a holiday meal, you are welcome to serve alongside us in the following ways:

Meals for Hope
Our Meals for Hope volunteer opportunities are divided into several "tiers" arranged by time commitment.

  • First tier – the full experience: Volunteers who sign up for the “top tier” of our Meals for Hope program agree to prepare, deliver and serve a full meal at either Bethel Mission or our Hope Family Center, generally on a regular basis. We provide details on what food items are needed and will help find a time that works for you to come to our facility to deliver and/or serve a meal.
    • What: Preparing, delivering and serving a full meal
    • Where: Bethel Mission or Hope Family Center
    • When: Noon or evening meal
  • Second tier – serving a meal: Perhaps preparing and serving an entire meal is not feasible for you. If so, you might consider helping serve a meal at either our Bethel Mission or Door of Faith men’s facilities. This option includes serving a meal and cleaning up following the meal. Volunteers are also asked to supplement the meal by bringing one item (i.e. milk, casserole, dessert, eggs, etc.).
    • What: Supplement, serve and clean up after a meal
    • Where: Bethel Mission or Door of Faith
    • When: Noon or evening meal
  • Third tier – food donor: It takes a lot of food to serve three meals a day, 365 days a year at our facilities! We serve an average of 11,000 meals each month! Food donors help us out by donating food items such as ketchup, milk, eggs, etc. on a monthly, weekly or bi-weekly basis. Once you sign up, we will provide details on what items are needed.
    • What: Food donations
    • Where: Bethel Mission, Door of Faith, Hope Family Center
    • When: Monthly, weekly or bi-weekly basis

Dairy Donors
Like your refrigerator at home, dairy products are a staple here at Hope Ministries as we seek to provide well-rounded, healthy meals for our residents and guests. By becoming a dairy donor for either our Hope Café or Hope Family Center, you help us supplement our kitchens with milk, cheese and other ongoing dairy needs. We provide details on what dairy items are needed and will help set up a schedule for regular or one-time dairy donations as you can.

Meal Greeter Ministry
At our Hope Café, we hope not only to fill our guests’ stomachs, but also to lifr their spirits. Meal greeters serve on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis at Hope Café by visiting with our meal guests, encouraging them and praying for them.

Sunday Night Sandwich Club
Our Sunday Night Sandwich Club is a great opportunity for families, small groups and church groups to bless our homeless shelter residents on Sunday evenings by providing 200 sandwiches. Join the Sunday Night Sandwich Club and provide sandwiches on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Holiday Meals
Are you interested specifically in bringing joy to our residents and guests on holidays? If so, you may want to check available volunteer opportunities for our Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday meals. We seek to offer the community an extra helping of hope on these joyful holidays as we serve meals both on- and off-site. Click here to learn more about holiday-related volunteer opportunities.

For more information about any of these food-related volunteer opportunities, feel free to call (515) 265-7272 or email info@hopeiowa.org.