Respond to God's gift of love by serving your neighbor.

At Ankeny First, we RESPOND to our neighbors through our community partnerships and through our on-going RESPOND opportunities. Sometimes the opportunities are meeting financial needs; sometimes they are meeting relational needs; sometimes they are meeting physical needs.  We want you to explore and pray about how you can RESPOND to the needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ. The RESPOND step in our METHOD is how we believe you can grow and strengthen your relationship with God through the love of others. 

MISSION OF THE MONTH

FEBRUARY - Personal Care Items

Personal care items are often running low or are completely depleted for those in need, so let's help them out! Bring your items to the gray Mission of the Month bins at your worship location, or give monetarily by writing "February Mission of the Month" on your check memo, or give online.

Here is a list of suggested items. We will be distributing donations to local agencies so that they can provide them to their clients.
Give financially

Ongoing RESPOND Opportunities

Community Meals

Every Monday - 4:30-5:15 - Uptown
Monday sign up
Every Thursday - 5:00-6:00 - CLC
Thursday sign up
We provide meals to people in our community  every Monday (Upt) and Thursday (CLC). People can  drive up to our site and get a meal. We also deliver to those who can't get to our locations on Mondays only. 

Malawi Partnership of Hope

Building Relationships
Some of the projects supported through this partnership include deep water wells, nursery schools, women's empowerment trainings, village loan programs, pastoral and family support, building projects, and more.   
Learn More

Trinity Supper Club

Help Serve Once a Month
We host meals every month at Trinity Las Americas UMC at 8th & College Street in Des Moines. We prepare and package meals at the CLC site and deliver to Trinity. The group serves on the first Wednesday of the month, as well as the fourth Thursday of the month. We need van drivers, cookie bakers and servers for these meals. 
Learn More

Panera Bread Rescue Ministry

Delivering Unused Bread to Those in Need
Each day of the work week, volunteers help rescue Panera Bread baked goods, repackage the goods into smaller bags, and then deliver to area agencies where their clients can enjoy. This is an easy way to volunteer and a great way to help reduce food waste. 
Learn More

YMCA Supportive House Meal

Every Third Tuesday
A team of roughly six volunteers prepare (with the help of Y staff) and serve the residents at the YMCA Supportive Housing campus once a month on the third Tuesday. 
Sign Up

Central Iowa Shelter & Services Meal

Every 21st of the Month
Join us as we serve a meal for our neighbors at Central Iowa Homeless Shelter in Des Moines. 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. 
Learn more

Families Forward

Third Saturday Workday and More!
United Women in Faith (UWIF) have a standing scheduled workday on the third Saturday of the month from 9:00am to noon. Projects are available for all ages and abilities. Please join our Ankeny First group and see how Bidwell Pantry at Families Forward functions as the largest distribution center in Iowa. Questions? Mary Johnson (515) 771-5591.
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The Agape Garden

Feeding the Community - Both Body & Soul
From early spring until the fall harvest, God is nurturing the Agape Garden through the hands and feet of volunteers.  All the produce is delivered to the Ankeny Service Center and given to their clients. The season has wrapped up for 2024, but watch for information in the Spring of 2025 for ways to get involved. 
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Mission Partnerships

We partner with various Ankeny and surrounding-area organizations so that we can help the meet the needs of others through the expertise of those agencies. They can let us know how our congregation can help with specific needs throughout the year.  We have linked to many of their websites so you can find ways to RESPOND to them directly in addition to when we communicate a specific request from them. 
The Ankeny Klothing Exchange (TAKE)
The Ankeny Klothing Exchange ( T A K E ) is a non-profit organization that operates a store, offering free gently used clothing, shoes, linens, household goods, & more to community members in need right here in Ankeny, IA. Ankeny First partners with TAKE whenever they need assistance with special requests, volunteer days, or financial assistance.

To support TAKE on your own, you may donate items to their free store where clients can shop (free of charge for needed items), volunteer your time, or donate items under their account number at Stuff, Etc. Ankeny. Visit their website for more information https://takeankeny.org/. 
AMOS
A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy (AMOS) believes in the inherent dignity of each person, and every person's ability to take action. We seek to channel individual action into a responsible and powerfully organized force for the common good. Find out all about what they do at https://www.amosiowa.org.
Blood Center of Iowa
Four times a year, we host Life Serve blood drives at our Uptown location. https://www.lifeservebloodcenter.org/.
Upcoming blood drive 2025 dates at our Uptown Fellowship Hall: April 29, July 29, and October 28.
DMARC Food Pantry
We support Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) food pantry throughout the year with multiple food drives. We have drop-off bins for non-perishable food at both our Uptown and CLC sites that are delivered to DMARC once a month. We also take financial donations. We host Mission of the Month drives for them twice a year as well as host creative ways to collect donations such as on Souper Bowl Sunday and during the CYHAWK game week. For more information, visit https://www.dmarcunited.org/.

Impact Ankeny
IMPACT's mission is to reduce the barriers and burdens that families in poverty experience by increasing access to essential needs.  IMPACT has many locations in central Iowa including one right here in Ankeny. It houses a food and personal care pantry. For additional information, you can visit their website at https://www.impactcap.org/. We assist IMPACT by collecting donations for the food pantry and personal care pantry, deliver excess Panera Bread items to distribute, and having occasional special events. You can always volunteer on your own or with your small group. 
Joppa
Our Joppa ministry team supports the organization by the same name that helps the homeless in the Des Moines area. To get involved with this team, contact Kate Pauly today! Regular, consistent participation with these tasks is desired. More information about Joppa can be found at https://www.joppa.org/. 
Kids Hope
Kid's Hope USA is our mentoring program in partnership with Southeast Elementary school.  For over 25 years, Kids Hope USA has provided a proven, life-changing program through church-school partnerships that train and equip mentors to reach kids in public schools who are in-need of caring, reliable, one-on-one relationships. Mentors, standing alongside teachers and parents, ensure children that they are not alone. Through the power of relationship, children build resilience and a brighter future.
 
Mentors meet with a child for one hour per week during the school year.  Each child/mentor team is assigned a prayer partner.  There is the opportunity to serve as either a mentor or a prayer partner.  This is a great way to make a difference in the life of a child.

To get more information and to see if mentoring is right for you, contact the Ankeny First coordinator, Karen Freeborn at kfreeborn3@msn.com.
Trinity Las Americas UMC
Ankeny First United Methodist Church has an informal partnership with Trinity Las Americas United Methodist Church, 1548 8th Street, Des Moines, with the goal of blending urban / suburban ministries to the benefit of both congregations.

Trinity Las Americas UMC has been serving the Riverbend community of Des Moines for nearly a century. The church location on 8th street offers weekly bi-lingual worship celebration in English and Spanish.