September's Change for Community recipient is Food At First a local nonprofit that provides free meals and groceries to anyone who is hungry — no questions asked. Food at First serves a hot meal every day of the year at the First Christian Church in downtown Ames. In fact, they haven’t missed a meal in [...]
Ames Pride is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded to promote community building among LGBTQIA+ individuals, to educate the community of issues affecting LGBTQIA+ people, and to facilitate an environment that values the intersectional identities of all people living in and around the City of Ames. Ames Pride began in 2017 with a mission to [...]
Prairie Flower Children's Center Prairie Flower Children’s Center is an independent, non-profit childcare center in Ames that runs unique nature-based programming for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children. Nature is the setting for most of our activities – we spend as much of the day as possible outside – and also our main object of [...]
Blast Back to School Backpack Program Did you know that on average, families spend over $100 per child to purchase necessary school supplies? For many families this is just not possible on limited budgets. Story County Blast Back to School aims to relieve the burden of back to school expenses for local families of [...]
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Central Iowa supports, educates and advocates for individuals living with mental illness and their family members at no charge to the participants. This non-profit 501(c)3 organization has expanded to serve Ames, ISU students, and residents throughout 14 central Iowa counties through their educational classes, support groups, public presentations [...]
Ames Public Library Friends Foundation April 2025 Change for Community Recipient The Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that supports Ames Public Library through fundraising, volunteering, and advocacy. Funds raised by APLFF helps support programs for children, youth and adults throughout the year, including book clubs, speakers, and cultural [...]
KHOI Community Radio KHOI Community Radio, 89.1FM, is YOUR neighborhood radio station. Serving Story County and beyond, KHOI offers a rich variety of music and public affairs programming, both locally and nationally produced. The hosts that you hear on KHOI's airwaves may be your neighbors. The music that you hear may be from around the world, or from around [...]
Ames Elementary PTOs The Parent-Teacher Organizations for Ames' five public elementary schools (Edwards, Fellows, Meeker, Mitchell and Sawyer) work to support students, teachers, staff, and families so that they can thrive. This includes purchasing curriculum and classroom resources, funding annual teacher mini grants, covering field trip fees and busing, and organizing family events and [...]
Ames Animal Shelter The Ames Animal Shelter exists as a safe place where animals without a human voice to speak for them can find comfort and safety. They believe every life that comes through their doors matters—be it wild, domestic, or somewhere in-between. Through their services, education, and advocacy, they work to build a [...]
The Bridge Home is a non-profit organization devoted to bridging the gap between homelessness and housing by providing shelter, support, and inspiring a pathway forward for individuals and families experiencing or on the verge of homelessness. Founded in 1985 to address the growing need of individuals and families requiring shelter, a trend that continues today, we are the only [...]
