• Help Bidwell with urgent needs! They immediately need used plastic grocery bags (or any kind of grocery bags) for the food pantry AND laundry detergent pods.
• Most needed donations for YMCA Supportive Housing right now! Toilet paper, plastic trash bags (13 gallon), and gently used silverware (especially forks).

Bring all items to the Uptown site and place them in the marked bins in the "old" library.

Register today! On Saturday, July 30, we will be hosting a Habitat for Humanity panel build at the Christian Life Center and will need many volunteers!

Join Ankeny Circle of Faith and Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity to build the walls to a future home in just one day! Please see task descriptions below and sign up for your desired shift. No experience? No problem. Habitat construction managers will teach you anything you need to know on-site!

• The Setup Crew will unload the truck and set up various workstations for the day.
• Wall Builders will assemble the wall panels, which may include the use of various tools, such as saws, routers, and hammers.
• The Cleanup Crew will pick up tools, debris, and building materials and help load the truck.
• Ankeny Circle of Faith Panel Build Registration Link

Registration closes on July 21! Must be 16+ to volunteer. Students ages16-17 must volunteer with an adult age 21+ with a maximum of 4 students per 1 adult supervisor.

Questions? Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 515-471-8686 x107.

Find instructions HERE!

Love Lunches is a summer lunch program for children and their families that is solely supported by church donations and is not affiliated with the school district. Seven community churches, including Ankeny First, help with this program by preparing and serving the meal for 1-3 weeks throughout the summer. This is where we need you! Sign up to donate food, or to volunteer to prepare and serve the meal HERE. Ankeny First is responsible to prepare the meal and serve the meal on June 2, 20, 21, 22, and 23 so please prioritize those dates. We prepare the meal in the Uptown Family Center, and we serve the meal at Sunset Park (1320 SW 3rd Street). Note: we will also need to fill up volunteer responsibilities on August 1, 2, 3, and 4. The sign-up genius has dates for the entire summer. If the Ankeny First specific dates do not work in your schedule, please feel free to help on any day that does.

Questions can be directed to Holly Szcodronski at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

What a great way to respond to God’s love in our community! Every pint saves or sustains another life! Our next blood drive will be on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at our Uptown location, 1:00-6:00pm. This drive will be in honor of Bonnie Klein. Register at www.lifeservebloodcenter.org. Questions? Contact Judy Ruble, 515.729.9482.

The summer months are upon us already! Kids may be out of school for summer break but Sunday School will still be going strong this summer! The lessons and materials are provided for you each week and you simply show up and lead the children through the lesson. Each lesson consists of an icebreaker or introduction, a Bible story, discussion questions, a craft, and a game. The materials are prepped and ready to go each week so there is no outside preparation time other than to familiarize themselves with the scripture for the week and review the instructions.

You can sign up to teach one Sunday, once a month, or however many you want! Register HERE. We hope you will consider helping our kids grow in their faith this summer!

Thank you, to all who have donated, served, or delivered for our Monday Night Community Meal over the past months. None of this would happen without all those who have taken the time to help! There are approximately 150 meals being served each Monday to those in our community who may not otherwise have a hot, home-cooked meal that night. Deliveries are being made to a number of apartment complexes primarily serving our older generations for a total of 100 meals. Interested in helping? Sign up here.

We will be collecting monetary donations as well as non-perishable food items for the DMARC food pantry in the month of June. During the summer months, the need for donations is higher due to students being out of school. Note: proteins are always a great donation (such as peanut butter or canned meat). Additionally, DMARC can make your monetary donations go further as they have the ability to buy in bulk. Please place non-perishable food items in the Mission of the Month bins at our Uptown site or the CLC.

Give monetarily by writing “June Mission of the Month” in your check memo, or give online (www.ankenyfirst.org/give.htm).

Volunteers Needed for Meals We Serve to Des Moines Agencies

YMCA Supportive Housing Meal Eight volunteers are needed each 3rd Tuesday of the month to manage a meal for the residents of the YMCA Supportive Housing Campus in Des Moines. The eight volunteers share the duties of meal prep, serving and clean-up. You are needed by 5:45pm and you will be finished up by 7:45pm. If you are brand new to this mission opportunity, there will be people there to assist you and get you going with needed tasks. Sign up here.

Trinity Supper Club July 6 Every first Wednesday of the month, a team of volunteers meets at the Christian Life Center to prepare meals and deliver them to Trinity Las Americas in downtown Des Moines, which go to the community and after-school children. To make that happen, we need you! This next month on June 1 we still need volunteers to provide cookies...the driver and kitchen helpers have already filled up! Please sign up HERE to let God’s light shine through you and bless our Des Moines neighbors and kids!

Central Iowa Shelter & Services Meal Join us as we serve a meal for our neighbors at Central Iowa Homeless Shelter in Des Moines on the 21st of each month. This is a wonderful way to respond to God's love and command to love our neighbors. There are opportunities to help with serving the meal, and driving the food and helpers down to the shelter. Find more information and register here.

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

The church is always in need of skilled labor to help our buildings and grounds remain safe, clean, and maintained. If you have experience (professional or DIY), this is a great opportunity for you to be in service with your church family so that we can focus on the ministry that happens every day at our facilities. The Property Ministry Team is an important, on-going ministry in our church.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your skill set:

Demolition
Concrete/rebar
Masonry/brickwork
Landscaping
Small engine repair/maintenance
Rough carpentry (framing)
Finish carpentry
Siding
Roofing
Installing doors/windows
Tiling/flooring/carpet
Painting
Drywall/mud/tape/finish
Plumbing
HVAC
Electrical
Cleaning