St. Timothy's Episcopal Church

What started as a little plot of land with a few plants to a food pantry garden. Volunteers sow, plant, fertilize, weed and harvest a garden each year that has produced as much as 16,000 lbs. of food for local food pantries. Volunteers are from the church, the local community – including schools & neighbors – and Bhutanese neighbors that come through Lutheran Services in Iowa. Visit the Faith & Grace Garden website for more information.

This ministry hosts a worship service for the women inside the correctional facility at Mitchellville. Members of St. Timothy’s also serve on a Reentry Team, which helps women recently released from the prison navigate life outside. Read more about this ministry at http://www.womenatthewellumc.org/.

The Youth Justice Initiative is a restorative justice program that helps reduce repeat juvenile offenses. St. Timothy’s hosts a study table and provides a meal for participants on Thursday nights. Learn more about YJI at http://www.wdm.iowa.gov/government/police/community-programs/youth-justice-initiative.

The casserole ministry has been part of St. Timothy’s efforts to feed the hungry from our very beginning.  Parishioners have continued to prepare casseroles for use by the Salvation Army’s local mobile canteen, local food pantries, the local domestic violence shelter and Hope Ministries.  From 2006-2021, 27,609 casseroles have been delivered to the hungry.

The FreeStore is an outreach begun at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church that provides household items and furniture free of charge to women who are referred by Iowa domestic violence services and to families in need from other social agencies for a nominal fee. It is entirely run by volunteers with no paid staff. Volunteers are always needed to pick up furniture, organize items in the warehouse, greet clients, help clients move furniture to their new locations, and raise funds. Visit the FreeStore’s website for more information.

Joppa collaborates with community partners, helps homeless people access existing resources, and mobilizes private donations from families, churches and organizations to serve unmet needs in homeless services, housing and education. As a congregation, we support Joppa with meal prep one weekend each month for our youth, recognize them as a 2nd Offering partner during the year and share seasonal need suggestions for the homeless in our community. https://www.joppa.org/supply/

This ministry began as part of our connection with the Youth Justice Initiative Study Table Program. YJI families identified as “food insecure” are supported by this ministry, typically receiving a large backpack filled with groceries and many times additional bags to supplement the need.