Curiosity Sparks Community Impact

May 4, 2026

Discovering new opportunities to give back is deeply fulfilling to Nancy, and she found an unexpected tool that helped turn her interests into action. Inquisitive by nature, Nancy enjoys exploring the needs of local nonprofits, their special projects and the root causes they work to address. 

After hearing about the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines from a nonprofit partner, Nancy explored the website and discovered GIVEdsm.org. An online resource, GIVEdsm highlights community needs while connecting donors with organizations aligned to their interests. 

 “The site really feeds my curiosity,” Nancy shares. “Every time I visit GIVEdsm, there are new opportunities. And when I’m ready to do some self-guided research, I can dig in, find a cause or small organization that speaks to me and connect in a meaningful way.” 

 Having grown up in the Des Moines area, Nancy values a tool that brings her community connections together in one place. GIVEdsm offers hundreds of ways to support local nonprofits while giving those organizations a platform to share their work and amplify their impact. 

 For nonprofits like Urbandale Food Pantry, GIVEdsm is more than a listing — it’s where curiosity and caring meets real community needs. Urbandale Food Pantry understands that food insecurity is only one piece of the poverty equation. Guided by a philosophy of dignity and respect, their team studied community plans and wraparound service models. From that learning came a vision of a community hub where nonprofit partners could work together to help individuals navigate comprehensive solutions during challenging times.

To bring this vision to life, the Urbandale Food Pantry launched a capital campaign for a new space designed to better meet the needs of everyone who walks through their doors. They turned to GIVEdsm — the go-to resource to discover and support local nonprofits.

“We live in a generous community filled with people who want to give back and are searching for ways to make a difference,” says Patty Sneddon-Kisting, executive director of the Urbandale Food Pantry. “GIVEdsm allows nonprofits of all sizes to elevate what they’re doing — and the process is simple. It allowed us to share our opportunity and connect with donors we otherwise wouldn’t have met.”

With necessary funding secured, the Urbandale Food Pantry is now able to remove barriers for those seeking support by connecting them on-site with partners such as WIC, Project Iowa and Meals on Wheels. This systems-focused approach reflects the Better Together spirit — made possible in part, by a simple yet powerful resource, GIVEdsm.