Summer Celebration Coming Soon!


Summer is just around the corner and that means it’s almost time to celebrate the success of our guests and the Family Promise of Greater Des Moines program!
Mark your calendar for the Summer Celebration and Silent Auction on July 22nd and keep your eyes peeled for updates. You won’t want to miss the time with friends, food, drink, entertainment, and—maybe most of all—the great items available in the silent auction.
Where: Giovannetti Shelter, Urbandale
When: Friday, July 22, 2022 
Updates on tickets and other event details will be shared soon!

Volunteer Spotlight: Elaine Imlau

Family Promise of Greater Des Moines would not be able to help the guest families we serve without our dedicated volunteers. We are especially lucky to have so many who consistently go above and beyond to support us. Elaine Imlau is one of those incredible volunteers, and this is what she shared about her experience:

“I have been volunteering for Family Promise through First Unitarian Church since the fall of 2017, about 4-1/2 years now. I started when my church first got involved in the program mainly as an evening host. In March of 2020, I became the coordinator for the program at First Unitarian.  As a retired teacher, I enjoy interacting with the families in a more relaxed atmosphere without the pressures of designing and grading assignments.

Lockdown and stricter COVID-19 protocols have made my job much easier, needing fewer volunteers; however, I really miss playing games with the kids, visiting with the parents and getting to know them on a more personal level. This program has been the most meaningful volunteer project in which I’ve been involved. I see first-hand the struggles families have with housing, and how appreciative they are for the help received and the chance to stay all together in a safe, supportive space as they work their way back into their own homes. I strongly encourage anyone looking for a volunteer opportunity to give Family Promise a try. You’ll be glad you did.”
Operation Rice Bowl
Every year, the Diocese of Des Moines collects donations from Catholic parishes during the Lenten season through the Catholic Relief Service Operation Rice Bowl Program. Of the donations collected from Central Iowa parishes, 25 percent remains in Des Moines to support local efforts to alleviate hunger and poverty, such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens and food pantries. Family Promise of Greater Des Moines has been a recipient of these grants which help support our services to families experiencing homelessness.

Please consider participating in Operation Rice Bowl this Lenten season – your change creates local change in the lives of homeless and low-income families in our community!
Board Spotlight: Taylor Crawley
For Taylor Crawley, participating as a volunteer and Family Promise of Greater Des Moines (FPGD) Board Member is part of her duty as a member of the Des Moines community.

“I find it so important for our community to do what we can to support families who are in the position of home insecurity,” she says. “I love that Family Promise provides families experiencing home insecurity the opportunity to get back on track while caring safely for their family.”

As a marketing specialist for Berkley Agribusiness, Taylor participated on the FPGD marketing committee throughout 2021, but officially joined the FPGD board in January of 2022. Even prior to that, she had a history of volunteering with the organization.

“I first got involved with FPGD as an overnight host in 2019 and 2020 with our church, Plymouth United Church of Christ, which is a host congregation,” she says. The overnight volunteering helped her see first-hand the importance of FPGD support to guest families. “To be able to interact with guests who are directly impacted by homelessness and having the trajectory of their lives changed by the support and opportunities FPGD provides, is very cool to see.”

Taylor and her husband, Dillan, live in Des Moines with their three-year old Corgi named Georgie. They enjoy spending time outdoors with their families and also like to travel. Taylor also enjoys cooking new dishes and is currently in search of the perfect cinnamon roll recipe.

Maximize Your Impact With Thrivent Choice® Dollars

The Thrivent Choice charitable grant program is an opportunity for Thrivent members to contribute to organizations they care about! If you’re a Thrivent member, please consider directing your Choice Dollars to Family Promise of Greater Des Moines to help support and strengthen our services to families experiencing homelessness.

Don’t miss this opportunity to recommend that Thrivent distribute its outreach funding to our organization. Go to thrivent.com/thriventchoice to learn more. Or call 800-847-4836 and say “Thrivent Choice” after the prompt.

Donation Needs

In addition to financial gifts, in-kind donations are extremely important to the success of our organization. Our biggest current needs are towels and cleaning supplies. You can find all of our needs at our AmazonSmile Wish List for easy ordering and delivery with just a click of your mouse!
Make a Financial Donation Here!
Thank you for supporting the families we serve!

Our Mission:
To mobilize our community to help homeless families achieve stable housing
and income through compassionate care, hospitality and professional support.
Host Congregations:
• Aldersgate UMC
• Ankeny First UMC
• Faith Lutheran
• First Unitarian
   • Holy Trinity Lutheran
  • Holy Trinity Catholic     Church
  • Lutheran Church of Hope
• Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart
• Plymouth United Church of Christ
• Urbandale United Church of Christ
• Walnut Hills UMC
• Westminster Presbyterian
Support Congregations:
• Ss. John & Paul Parish
• St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church
• St. Pius X Catholic Church
• St. Theresa Church of the Child Jesus
• West Des Moines 
Christian Church
  • Windsor Heights               Lutheran
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4114 Allison Avenue
Des Moines, IA | 50310 US
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