The Homeless and Hungry Committee at St. Francis of Assisi parish offers parishioners the opportunity to assist homeless and hungry people in the greater Des Moines area. We do this by serving a local shelters and hosting various projects throughout the year:
- Coat Drive in the Fall
- Thanksgiving Baskets in November
- Angel Tree in December
- Lenten Crosses in March/April
Any questions, regarding this committee can be directed to Montse Madden, Social Concerns Chair.
We also coordinate meals at 3 different shelters on a monthly basis while volunteers coordinate a monetary collection and a separate food collection.
- St. Joseph Family Emergency Shelter: Volunteers provide dinner for approximately 30 people on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Contact: Kim Mallisee
- Central Iowa Shelter & Services: Volunteers provide the meal, supplies and serve downtown on the 9th and 10th of each month. View the signup here. Contact: Lisa Altringer
- Connection Café: Volunteers serve lunches for over 100 homeless and working poor the 3rd Wednesday of each month in downtown Des Moines. Contact: Carole Chambers
- Food Pantry Sunday: Volunteers coordinate a monetary collection for the local food pantries every 4th Sunday of the month. You can donate here. Contact: Randy Jensen
- Iowa Homeless Youth Center: Donations of food are collected to provide the meal on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. (September – May only) Contact: Amy Raedeker
To be added to the email list for these service opportunities, please send an email to volunteer@saintfrancischurch.org and let us know which program you are interested in.