Share your time and fight hunger
See our work in action at DMARC and play your part in making it happen. Individuals and groups are needed year-round. It’s as easy as finding an opportunity, checking your schedule, and then signing up!
Top Volunteer Needs
View and sign up for some of our top upcoming volunteer opportunities.
New Volunteers
Fill out an application to get started, or download our mobile app to check in and sign in for opportunities.
Group Volunteers
Our warehouse and on-site food pantry make hosting larger corporate volunteer groups a breeze.
Leadership Opportunities
Love hosting parties? Want to get involved in a higher capacity with fundraising?
Not Sure Where to Start?
Contact Chloe Bald our Volunteer and Outreach Manager, to learn more about upcoming special events, group and corporate volunteer opportunities, and how to apply.
The need is so great and it breaks my heart thinking about the people who don’t have enough to eat. I could cry just thinking about it.
Helen Bell,
DMARC-Ket volunteer
Everyone’s experience is different. They are always appreciative of the food and this work as become even more important since the pandemic.
Sharyl & Chuck Heiken
Food Pantry volunteers
Volunteer Opportunities Coming Up
Did you know that last year…
2,588
volunteers gave time across the DMARC Food Pantry Network
82,245
hours of volunteer support generated by their efforts
$2.75m
of labor in equivalent value (or roughly 39 full-time staff)
Get Involved as a Group
Want to learn more about DMARC? Our warehouse and on-site food pantry make hosting larger corporate volunteer groups a breeze. You can tie your volunteer experience in with an educational opportunity, tour, or if you are a youth group host a DMARC Hunger Simulation.
You can also host a food and fund drive to encourage donations of food and funds.
Let’s find an opportunity that works best for you!
Adopting a shift at the DMARC-ket Southside Food Pantry
It’s the easiest way to keep your workplace or congregational group involved throughout the year.
Volunteering for the First Time
There are lots of ways to get involved with DMARC as a volunteer – even if you aren’t ready to make a long-term commitment. If you are interested in volunteering, the easiest way to get started is by downloading the Civic Champs mobile app and signing up for a shift that makes sense for you. Volunteering in the DMARC-Ket Southside Food Pantry, other food programs, or with a special event, is an easy way to learn about the work we do and the ways you have an impact. Browse available opportunities on our online volunteer calendar to see our top volunteer needs.
Special Events
Join us for one of our upcoming fundraising events, food drives, meetings, or other special events. Your participation, volunteering, and gifts help us grow our impact!
Meals from the Market
Each Saturday during the summer, at the end of the Des Moines Downtown Farmers’ Market, volunteers collect and load donated produce into a truck for distribution from DMARC.
Sundays at the Iowa Cubs
Help hit a home run for our Food Pantry Network! On Sunday Home games anyone can enter the game for free by bringing in a donation of three nonperishable food items. DMARC needs a couple of awesome volunteers to collect donations at each of the I-Cubs Sunday home games.
Spring Greens
Our signature fundraiser in April, with the purpose of raising critical funds for its mission. Like throwing a good party? Help plan this event and volunteer during the event.
Stamp Out Hunger
This May, we need volunteers to assist with sorting, date- and quality-checking, counting, and packaging thousands of pounds of donated food items at the NALC’s annual food drive.