Curbside Comfort Food Cook-Off - Register Now!

Although 2020 has been full of challenges that have required us to change course many times, we are determined to keep comfort food on your plate! For the health and safety of our volunteers and participants, we’re taking our annual Comfort Food Cook-Off CURBSIDE, and tickets are on sale now!
We have congregations signed up to bring six home-cooked dishes to West Des Moines Christian Church, where we will package and provide them to you curbside to enjoy at home - dessert included!
With this change, there will be a few new steps implemented so you can still enjoy the event:
  • Online pre-registration and purchase of tickets for the number of people who wish to eat.
  • Tickets indicate a 15-minute time block for you to pick up your food between 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at West Des Moines Christian Church. (You may choose your time window, based on ticket availability.) 
  • Masked and gloved volunteers will deliver your pre-packaged food directly to your car during your pick-up time. 
  • Enjoy your food in the comfort of your home, then vote/donate online for your favorite dish. Voting instructions will be provided with your food.
Our celebrity judges, Jen and Taylor from Life 107.1 and Jackie Schmillen from Iowa Live will be on-site and using Facebook Live to review the dishes and keep those eating at home included in the action. They will announce the winners of the coveted Judges' Choice Pot Trophy winner by 6 p.m. that evening (website link to announcement will be distributed with food). Winners of the People's Choice award will be announced through email, Facebook and our website on November 9.
Since this is a new way of holding the event during this time of social distancing, it will be important to check your email, our website and Facebook page for event updates.
A special thank you to our presenting sponsors of the Comfort Food Cook-Off - Nationwide and Conference Event Management.
Welcome Madeline Spencer
We’ve been lucky to add a talented new team member this summer. Madeline Spencer is the new FPGD administrative assistant, working part-time to help with donor and volunteer communications, database coordination and assisting with special events.
"I love what Family Promise of Greater Des Moines is doing for the community," Madeline said. "They not only offer families temporary shelter and housing, but also care for them long term by helping to establish stable homes and employment. I’m excited to be a part of an organization that walks with people as they work hard to reach their goals and care for their families."  
Madeline graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in public relations and event management. She was recently married, and Madeline and her husband moved from Ames to Des Moines in May. Madeline was previously the Youth Program Director for Cornerstone Church in Ames.
Download the 2019 Family Promise of Greater Des Moines Annual Report here!
Birdies for Charity Donations Bring in $20,042
We are incredibly excited to be receiving $20,042 from Principal Charity Classic’s Birdies for Charity! This amount was provided through donations to Birdies for Charity by our community as well as a generous 10% match by Wells Fargo. Even though the golf event was canceled this year, Principal still raised a record $6.7 million for more than 130,000 Iowa kids, including children served by Family Promise of Greater Des Moines. We are so thankful for the generosity of Principal, Wells Fargo and our community, especially in such an unusual time. We are confident that this donation will be incredibly beneficial for continuing the services we provide to our guest families experiencing homelessness! 
Saks OFF 5th Donates 1,500 Masks
Early in September we received a generous donation of 1,500 disposable masks from Saks OFF 5th. We were grateful to be chosen among a number of Family Promise affiliates around the country to receive a total of 100,000 masks. Most of the masks will be provided to our host congregation volunteers when health and safety guidelines allow congregational rotations for our guest families to begin again. We are also distributing a number of the masks to other area homeless shelters in need of extra supplies. We are so thankful for this donation and the ability to help keep our volunteers safely “covered!” 
(Pictured - Left: Donated boxes of disposable masks. Right: FPGD employees model donated masks.)

Donations

In addition to financial gifts, in-kind donations are also extremely important to the success of our organization. We also have an AmazonSmile Wish List for easy ordering and delivery with just a click of your mouse! Please drop off any of the following items at: 
Family Promise of Greater Des Moines
4114 Allison Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday through Friday
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday
  • Men's and women's long sleeved/thermal shirts (Women's sizes XL and M, Men's size Large)
  • Deodorant (men's and women's) 
  • Facial tissue
  • Toothpaste

    Make an online 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.
2020 Events:
November 8
Comfort Food Cook-Off
Host Congregations:
Aldersgate UMC
• Ankeny First UMC
• Faith Lutheran
• First Unitarian
   • Grimes United
   Methodist Church
   • Holy Trinity Lutheran
  • Holy Trinity Catholic     Church
  • Lutheran Church of Hope
• Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart
• Plymouth United Church of Christ
• Ss. John & Paul Parish
• St. Stephen Lutheran
• Urbandale United Church of Christ
• Walnut Hills UMC
• Westminster Presbyterian
• Windsor Heights Lutheran
Support Congregations:
• St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church
• St. Pius X Catholic Church
• St. Theresa Church of the Child Jesus
• West Des Moines
  Christian Church

Subscribe to our email list.