Three ways to give back in Des Moines this year

🎁 Team up and host a donation drive through West Des Moines Human Services.

🍎 Help families get their holiday meals and guide them through the Families Forward food pantry in Des Moines.

Monetary donations

🎓 Al Éxito is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to helping Latino youth achieve academic success and become leaders in Iowa.

📚 Help Des Moines Public Schools buy books, supplies and school pantry items.

✏️ Community Youth Concepts helps provide educational programming and career-based mentorships for local youth.

❤️ Support YSS, which helps local kids and teens by providing addiction treatment, mental health counseling and emergency housing.

Donate lightly used items

💼 Dress for Success is seeking professional clothing to help women entering the workforce.

🐶 Animal Lifeline accepts donations for its thrift shop, which benefits its adoptable cats and dogs with special needs.

🛍️ DAV Thrift Store supports veterans with disabilities.

Plus: 🥪 Community fridges are well-used in Des Moines. Here's a map of places to donate food, including leftovers that are dated and sealed with ingredients listed.

• Your local library needs food, too.