Volunteer Recognition

Dave Lewis

“Picking up donations lets me see into the hearts of the people who give,” says Dave Lewis, a V.I.P. volunteer at Hope Ministries. “They are as blessed by giving as the people who receive. You get to see both ends of it!”

Dave and his wife, Melissa, own Performance Display and each week Dave uses the company’s truck — a 22-foot vehicle with a lift gate — to pick up donations for Hope Ministries. “My first day was incredible,” he says. “I stopped at an eastside Curves for Women, where they’d had a food drive, and loaded over 2,000 pounds of food!”

Dave and Melissa chose Hope Ministries because, “They are more than faith-based, they are Christ-based,” Dave says. Drawing from the book Experiencing God, he says, “I try to watch to see where God is at work, then join Him there. Hope Ministries is a place where I can see the Lord working.”

For more information about V.I.P. volunteers, call (515) 265-7272 or check out www.hopeiowa.org. “I could use someone to go with me to pick up donations each week,” says Dave, who also wants to remind potential volunteers, “You don’t have to have a giant truck to help out. Just let the Lord use some of your time.”

Joleen Roskamp

My husband and I moved back to Des Moines three years ago and I began looking for Christian-oriented organizations where I could volunteer and give financial support. I remembered Bethel Mission because my mother talked about it when I was growing up.

Whenever I can, I volunteer for activities at Hope Ministries — like the Hearts for Hope Tea. Last Christmas, our whole family handed out gifts at Bethel Mission. Lots of needy kids came through the line. Our children loved doing it and it was a great lesson for them. Even today, the more I hear about Hope Ministries, the more I think it’s a great organization.

Joleen Roskamp, www.apositiveimpact.org

James Hayes

Hope Ministries has faithfully and consistently provided relief and recovery programs for the hungry, homeless and hurting through Bethel Mission, founded in 1915 and Door of Faith, founded in 1969 — a combined history of 126 years of service!

During these years, our volunteers and donors have been faithful and consistent as well, providing the means for us to minister to the lost.

Hope Ministries is grateful to James Hayes, a professor at Simpson College, for the time he gives as a V.I.P volunteer. Each week, James leads devotions for residents at Hope Ministries’ Door of Faith. A committed ambassador for Hope Ministries, he makes students at Simpson College aware of our needs and encourages their involvement.
Want to Know More?

Currently 50 V.I.P.s regularly volunteer at Hope Ministries and nearly 1,000 other friends volunteer each year. We currently need volunteer men as chapel leaders and to mentor residents. To learn more about these and other V.I.P. opportunities, call (515) 265-7272 or check out www.hopeiowa.org.

Larry Caltrider

Larry Caltrider, a customer communications technician at Qwest, received accolades from the Des Moines Register when his employer matched Larry’s hours of volunteer services at Hope Ministries with total contributions of over $2,000. Larry has volunteered at Hope Ministries for 13 years and recently served on the board of directors. Qwest spokesman Pete Vielhaber told the Register: “Qwest is dedicated to a spirit of gratitude and appreciation toward its employees who take our customers to the next level of service and also provide positive visibility in our community.”

Philicia Weaver

Like many people, I felt the need to do something worthwhile,” says Philicia Weaver, a V.I.P. volunteer at Hope Ministries' Hope Family Center. “Sure, I have a job and a family, but I wanted to contribute in a way that would have a positive impact on others. Typically, when we think about tithing, we think of giving 10% of our earnings. But what if I gave 10% of my time, too?”

“I asked for a Hope Ministries volunteer application and was amazed at the variety of ways I could contribute,” Philicia continues. “The whole experience has been incredibly worthwhile. I’m looking forward to a continued relationship with Hope Ministries!”

Rick Lowe and Son

Each Saturday evening for 12 years, Rick Lowe and his 17-year-old son Brad, volunteer leaders of Hope Ministries’ Saturday Night Street Ministry, have driven into the most unlovely parts of Des Moines to feed and pray for the homeless and hungry.

Accompanied by volunteers, father and son stop alongside bridges, roadside camps and government subsidized housing where they distribute meals of steaming stews and vegetables, and cups of fresh water and milk to homeless and poverty-stricken men, women and children.

“One homeless man is simply unable to handle the confines of shelters,” Rick says. “We went to where he usually stays but he wasn’t there. I felt we had to find him and give him a meal. Finally, we found him in an area we don’t normally go to. It was a really hot night, but he was wearing his winter coat. We gave him food and prayed with him. We gave him a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name … only this time it was chocolate milk!”

Prayed with him? “Yes!” says Rick. “Many of the people look forward to prayer. If we start to leave without praying, someone will yell, ‘Hey, we didn’t pray!’”

Rick believes Christ is the only One who can heal the hopelessness he sees so vividly in many of those served by this ministry. “We can show them we love them, want to feed them and want to pray for them,” he says. “But more than anything, they need to hear about Christ.”

Each week, the Saturday Night Street Ministry crew distributes an average 150 meals to homeless and low-income men, women and families who live under bridges, in fields, in abandoned buildings and in government or substandard housing. “Many are incapable of making good choices,” Rick maintains, citing the high numbers of mentally ill and addicted individuals he sees.

“We can keep them warm and fed for a night,” Rick admits, “but their only hope is Jesus.”

Thanks to our many volunteers!

• Guthrie Center NHS – served meal and clean vehicles

• Webster City Church of Christ Sr. High – reorganized storage and organized food pantry

• St. Paul Youth Group – cleaned chapel, swept and mopped clinic area, power washed outside around dumpster at Bethel Mission

• Youth in Parks – cleaned at Door of Faith facility

• HIM Ministries – help construct a shed and helped weed in the garden at Bethel Mission

• St. John's Church, Davenport – assisted in removing damaged ceiling tile upstairs at Bethel Mission