Caring Hands Outreach - Thrift Store & Food Pantry

10/09/2026

🎄 Christmas Clothing Is Now on Sale! 🎄

Our racks are STOCKED with festive favorites to keep the whole family feeling warm, cozy, and merry this winter. From cheerful sweaters and holiday outfits to seasonal accessories and more, you never know what you’ll discover!

What better way to start your weekend than by scoring great deals and thrifting with heart? 🛍️

Every purchase at Caring Hands directly supports our mission to feed, clothe, and empower neighbors right here in our community. Thank you for making a difference every time you shop with us! 💙

10/08/2026

🦃 Holiday Basket Sign-Ups Are Open! 🦃

Caring Hands pantry neighbors can now sign up to receive a Holiday Basket for Thanksgiving!

📞 Call (515) 967-4533 to add your name to the list.
📅 Registration closes November 6 so we can ensure we have enough supplies for every registered household.

Would you like to help fill our Holiday Baskets? Visit our Amazon Wish List to donate festive favorites for families right here in our community:

🛒 https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3MVY93LQY8PQL

Every contribution helps our neighbors gather around the table and enjoy a meaningful holiday meal together. Thank you for helping us share food, hope, and kindness this Thanksgiving! 💙

10/08/2026

The holiday season is almost here—and for many of our neighbors, it can bring additional financial stress and a greater need for support. 💙

Here are three meaningful ways you can help Caring Hands make the season brighter:

🌟 Help Build Our Holiday Baskets

Caring Hands provides holiday baskets filled with family favorites like turkey, ham, stuffing, and dinner rolls, helping our neighbors gather around the table and share a meaningful meal together.

When you shop our Amazon Wish List, donations are delivered directly to our donation door, helping us fill these baskets and put a little extra on families’ tables this holiday season:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3MVY93LQY8PQL

🌟 Volunteer With Your Crew

Start a meaningful holiday tradition with your family, friends, coworkers, church, or community group! Volunteer together during our busy holiday season and experience firsthand the difference your time and helping hands can make.

To register your group or learn more, email [email protected].

🌟 Host a Food Drive

Churches, businesses, schools, and community organizations can host a food drive for Caring Hands. Whether it’s a service project for your youth group or a giving campaign at your workplace, the holidays are a wonderful time to bring people together by giving together.

Learn more about hosting a drive:
https://caringhandsiowa.org/host-a-drive/

However you choose to give this holiday season, please know that every donation, every volunteer hour, and every act of kindness matters. We are deeply grateful for your support! 💙

10/07/2026

🔦 Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Sheri Stone! 🔦

Originally from Fairfield, Iowa, Sheri has called Altoona home since 2022. After a remarkable career of nearly 47 years in banking, she was looking for a meaningful way to stay active, connect with others, and share her talents—so she joined the Caring Hands family!

Sheri has volunteered in our food pantry since early 2023, bringing a helpful attitude and positive spirit to every shift. She primarily checks dates on the rescued food we receive, helping ensure that quality food doesn’t go to waste and that more of our neighbors have access to nutritious options.

When asked what she loves most about Caring Hands, Sheri said she enjoys “being behind the scenes.” She also believes that no matter your strengths, skills, or personality, there is a place at Caring Hands where your talents can be put to good use—and we couldn’t agree more!

Sheri, thank you for your inspiring work ethic, generous heart, and the many hours you dedicate to serving our neighbors. We appreciate you! 💙

10/07/2026

💙 Partnership Impact: River Place | Polk County 💙

Every Monday through Friday, Caring Hands staff and volunteers load and deliver approximately 400 pounds of fresh rescued food to River Place in Polk County.

Within about two hours of each delivery, that food is typically gone—a powerful reminder of the significant and ongoing need within our community.

Together, this partnership provides approximately:

🥕 2,000 pounds of food each week
🥫 8,600 pounds each month
🚚 104,000 pounds each year
🤝 4,500 people served every month

This partnership represents so much more than the transfer of donated food. It takes dedicated staff, hardworking volunteers, reliable vehicles, loading capacity, transportation, and daily coordination to move fresh rescued food from our facility and into the hands of neighbors who need it.

We are deeply grateful to River Place and Polk County for working alongside us to fight hunger, reduce food waste, and ensure fresh food reaches thousands of people throughout our community. 💙

To learn more about River Place Food Pantry and other food assistance resources available in Polk County, visit:
🔗 https://www.polkcountyiowa.gov/community-family-youth-services/community-and-family/polk-county-food-pantries/

10/06/2026

The Altoona Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a month-long community food drive for Caring Hands and we could not be more grateful! 💙💙💙 See info below:

🥫🛒 COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE FOR CARING HANDS OUTREACH & FOOD PANTRY! 💛✨Together, we can make a huge impact for our neighbors in need! 🤝

Starting tomorrow, October 1st through October 29th, we are hosting a community-wide food drive to support Caring Hands Outreach and Food Pantry.

💡 Did You Know? Did you know that over 50,000 residents (about 10% to 11% of the population) in Polk County face food insecurity, including nearly 1 in 6 children? Every donation—big or small—helps provide nourishing meals and essential items to local families right here in our community. 🌾❤️

📍 HOW YOU CAN HELP: 📦
Drop Off Donations: Collection boxes are located throughout Altoona and surrounding communities! Look for the list of participating local businesses to find a drop-off spot near you. 🏢
Check out the flyer below with the list!

🛒 Round Up at Fareway Stores Altoona:
Special thanks to Fareway in Altoona for hosting a round-up campaign October 5th through October 26th! 💚 You can easily round up your grocery total at checkout to directly benefit Caring Hands!

💳✨🚚 THE GRAND DELIVERY:
Mark your calendars! On October 30th at 10:00 AM, we will deliver all collected food items, cash, and hygiene products directly to Caring Hands Food Pantry! 🎉📦

Most Needed Items:🥣 Non-perishable food items (canned proteins, soups, pasta, cereal)🧼 Personal hygiene products (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, diapers)💵 Monetary donations (which help the pantry purchase items in bulk!)

Let’s show up big for our community this October! Share this post, tag a friend, and drop off your donations at a participating business near you. 📲👇

Meyer Chiropractic Clinic, The Duerson Corporation, Truman's Automotive & ADAS Calibrations, Restored Psychiatry and Wellness, Signarama, Bankers Trust Company, Medicap - Central Iowa, Ted's Body Shop, Inc, Bondurant Auto Body, Sylvan Learning

🌾🧡

10/01/2026

💙 Partnership Impact: Caring Hands + Prairie Meadows 💙

As the racing season comes to a close, we’re reflecting on what can happen when community partners work together.

From April through the end of September 2026, Caring Hands partnered with Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack & Hotel to provide consistent food assistance to its seasonal racing workforce.

Across approximately 26 weeks of the racing season, that adds up to:

✨ 18,200 food items distributed
✨ 1,820 instances of individual food support

These numbers represent more than food—they reflect stability, dignity, and a community committed to caring for its neighbors.

Thank you to Prairie Meadows for being such a valued partner, and thank you to our dedicated staff and volunteers who made this impact possible week after week!

Together, we can accomplish so much more. 💙

09/30/2026

🎉 We Have a Winner…and a BIG Announcement! 🎉

Congratulations to Donna Comegys, the winner of our holiday guessing-game giveaway!

Donna also happens to be the creative mind behind the “Mystery Books” that occasionally appear at our register. Thank you for sharing your creativity and generosity with Caring Hands, Donna—and congratulations! 💙

Now, what was the big surprise?

✨🎅 The Caring Hands Annual Holiday Store opens Saturday, November 7! 🎅✨

📅 Saturday, November 7
⏰ 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
🎟️ Early access from 8:00–10:00 AM with a $20 donation

Our Holiday Store will be filled with BRAND-NEW pallet items to make your season merry without breaking the bank. Shop clothing, holiday decorations, games, toys, gifts and more—all at deeply discounted prices! 🎄🧸🎁

Early-access shoppers can browse the best selection beginning at 8:00 AM while enjoying our festive hot cocoa bar and holiday cookies. ☕🍪

At Caring Hands, every purchase has a purpose. Your support helps us feed, clothe and empower our neighbors by providing hope and life-changing resources to individuals and families right here in our community.

Tag your favorite shopping friends and get ready for some very merry thrifting! 🎁🛍️

09/30/2026

🔦 Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Michele Larsen! 🔦

Michele has called Altoona home for 28 years and has been volunteering at Caring Hands for nearly two years.

She puts her talents to work folding and measuring donated fabric for the craft and quilting section of our thrift store—a favorite destination for quilters throughout our community! 🧵🪡

Michele is perfectly suited for the role. Each year, she creates an incredible 80–100 quilts and donates them to the local quilting group My Brothers Keeper. The group ties and finishes the quilts before bringing them to Caring Hands, where we distribute them to neighbors who visit our pantry.

When asked what she loves most about Caring Hands, Michele shared:

“I started volunteering so I would have something to do and so I could give back to the Lord. Volunteering has allowed me to meet so many wonderful people.”

Michele, thank you for sharing your time, talents, passion, and compassion with Caring Hands. Your service provides warmth and comfort to so many of our neighbors, and we are incredibly grateful to have you as part of our Volunteer Army! 💙

09/29/2026

🛋️ This Week’s Furniture Finds at Caring Hands! 🛋️

Some beautiful furniture pieces have hit our thrift store floor this week, and we can’t wait to share them with you!

✨ Rust-red three-seat sofa — $50
✨ Hardwood china cabinet and dining hutch — $40
✨ Striped high-back accent chair — $5
✨ Wood buffet/sideboard with drawers — $100
✨ Gray wingback accent chair — $12

See something you love? Shop early—furniture finds like these don’t tend to stick around for long!

But if you’re feeling lucky, any of these pieces still available on Thursday, October 1, will be 50% off during our Half-Price Sale! 👀

Tag a friend who loves finding beautiful furniture at thrift-store prices, and come thrift with heart! 💙