At United Way of Story County, we invite you to make a real impact in our community through volunteer opportunities of all kinds. Whether you’re interested in mentoring youth, assisting with food drives, or helping a senior complete their taxes, your time and talents can bring about meaningful change. Join us in supporting those in need, fostering connections, and building a stronger community together.
Click the drop-down menus below for current volunteer opportunities or contact Erica Andorf at eandorf@uwstory.org for help finding an opportunity that works for you.
Become a Salvation Army Bell Ringer!
The Salvation Army of Ames and Story County is calling YOU to help make a difference this holiday season by volunteering as a bell ringer during our annual Red Kettle Campaign!
When: Mid-November through Christmas Eve
Where: At Salvation Army kettles throughout the community
How to Sign Up: Visit registertoring.com to sign up today!
Bell ringers are the heartbeat of the Red Kettle Campaign, helping raise crucial funds that support Salvation Army programs year-round. A friendly smile and a warm greeting can make a world of difference!
What You Need to Know:
- Dress: Wear black dress pants, a white shirt, and a red Salvation Army vest (or a Salvation Army uniform, if applicable).
- Expectations: Be clean, presentable, and kind to everyone—even those who don't donate.
Why It Matters:
- Your presence at the kettles inspires generosity and community spirit.
- Every dollar raised goes directly to helping more than 25 million people in need across the U.S. each year.
Together, we can spread hope and joy to those who need it most this holiday season.
The Community Academy
Now-Mid January
Contact: Mike Todd at mike@thecommunityacademy.org
- Cleaning conetainers - would involve getting a little wet as we clean the remaining conetainers we use to plant our native plants for community projects including with the City of Ames.
- Stratifying native plant seeds - help us prepare our seed for planting in January/February - this involves mixing the seeds with vermiculite and adding water, then we put them in the refrigerator for 2 months prior to being able to plant them in the conetainers
Central Iowa RSVP
Ongoing
Contact: Kalen Petersen at director@cirsvp.org
We are interested in some groups to be pre-trained and pre-registered to respond to a local disaster through an RSVP Volunteer Reception Center activation.
Ames Public Library
Ongoing
Contact: Amy Divine at amyedivine@gmail.com or Sarah Bohlke at sbohlke@amespubliclibrary.org
INSPIRE is a volunteer based, free tutoring program using the Barton Reading and Spelling System. The Barton System is a systematic and explicit way to teach reading and spelling designed specifically for kids with dyslexia. The Barton system is designed so almost anyone can easily be trained in the curriculum and begin tutoring right away. We do not expect our tutors to be experts, but simply people who enjoy working with kids and who are willing to do the training. You would need to pass a tutor screening that can be done online and takes about 10 minutes. Then, it would require a commitment of at least two one-hour sessions per week with the student that must all take place at the Ames Public Library, as well as a few hours of online training at home before each unit. A one year commitment is preferred. Contact Amy for more information.
MICA Food Pantry
Ongoing
Contact: Jodie Linse at jodie.linse@micaonline.org
MICA needs an array of volunteers to help stock, sort, and more at their pantry located at 230 SE 16th Street in Ames. Room for 1-2 volunteers at a time. Email Jodie for more details!
Raising Readers in Story County
Contact: Hanna Bell at hannabell@raising-readers.org
Story Pals
Story Pals is a program that focuses on helping children who are identified as struggling with language skills in school. This program creates an atmosphere to help create the best learning environment for children, putting them in one one-on-one situations to help them learn through the dialogic reading method. Volunteers are expected to closely follow lesson guides during their sessions with students and promote environments of creativity, fun, and safety. All volunteers are expected to attend sessions twice a week for eight weeks. Morning and afternoon sessions are available. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfaozOO67KnGKE5DrzrHznmJmZfF5lef4te6o5hmIugtEcigQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
Reading Buddies
Reading Buddies provides free literacy sessions for children who are in first, second, and third grades. Volunteers will meet with students for personalized reading sessions to help each child with their literacy skills. These 45-minute sessions are held twice a week in the afternoon and supervised by RRSC team leads. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScP_iFG7BTh0cVr6MiqDySbbNuIchoGEbPbw6bp5LaY98mpdg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Small Talk
Volunteers assist with childcare during Small Talk sessions, which allows parents to be engaged in educational sessions. These hour-long sessions allow parents to participate in group learning and activities that will help them facilitate language development at home with their children. Small Talk sessions occur on Thursday evenings from 6:00 - 7:00 PM at our North Grand Mall locations. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4CAFAB2CABF9C07-46882813-small#/
The Salvation Army Food Pantry
Ongoing
Contact: 515-233-3567 or Kathy Pinkerton at kathy.pinkerton@usc.salvationarmy.org
The Salvation Army needs an array of volunteers to help stock, sort, and more at their pantry located at 703 E Lincoln Way in Ames. Call or email Cari for more details!
YSS
Ongoing
Contact: 515-233-3141
BECOME A MENTOR | Make a Difference
As a mentor, you are friend, role model, self-esteem builder and advocate! APPLY TODAY Visit: www.yss.org/mentoring
YSS Mentoring Offers:
+ SCHOOL-BASED (Mentors 15+) Serves K-8th grade | 9 month commitment for 30-60 minutes per week
+ COMMUNITY-BASED (Mentors 18+) Serves ages 6-17 in Boone & Story Counties | 12 month commitment for a minimum of 4 hours per month
Becoming a Mentor is Simple:
+ STEP 1 Submit an application
+ STEP 2 Complete and pass background check & references
Every year, UWSC coordinates a county-wide volunteer event in conjunction with our campaign kickoff, which is held on a Friday at the beginning of September. The effort is designed to bring awareness to the agencies and programs in Story County that work diligently year-round to improve our community, as well as encourage the spirit of volunteerism and the important role we all play in making Story County a better place for all. UWSC partners volunteers with agencies around the community to fulfill projects that will help improve programming. Want to be on our list when projects go live? Join our email list below or visit our Day of Caring site for more info!
Women United - Child Care Volunteers
Fill out the form below!
Do you like working with children? Sign up to play with and provide care for a group of children, infants through elementary school age while their mothers attend financial education workshops. Volunteers will assist children with basic care needs and provide play supervision. Toys and materials provided.
