For over 40 years, the nonprofit Embrace Iowa project and the Des Moines Register have raised funds to help Iowans during some of their most vulnerable times.
Over the decades, that longevity has enabled several applicants, including single mother Ashley Voorhees, to approach the program for a second chance at a temporary financial boost.
Medical complications during Voorhees’ pregnancy in 2024 limited her ability to work full-time at her restaurant job. Pregnant, with limited funds and three young children to care for, she slept on a deteriorating air mattress and her uncomfortable broken couch.
Eleven years ago, she worked with the Embrace Iowa program to help fund the purchase of bunk beds for her children. Now in an equally difficult situation, Vorhees pondered, “Even though I received assistance 11 years ago, could I try again? “And it worked.”
The Iowa Community Action Association oversees the annual campaign, Embrace Iowa, which is funded by charitable donations from Register readers.
Each applicant is eligible for up to $750 in assistance for urgent needs such as paying for doctor bills, car and wheelchair repairs, or furniture for young families.
Embrace Iowa’s coverage spans all 99 Iowa counties. Voorhees approached Sieda Community Action, one of the program’s 16 agencies spread across the state, and a busy support center that serves Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Van Buren, and Wapello counties.
Voorhees praised the speed and efficiency of her experience, as well as the knowledgeable guidance provided by staff member Kim Fletchall at the regional outpost. “I filled out the form in the Keokuk office, and she turned it in.
Voorhees explained that she learned she had been chosen within a month. Fletchall approved funds for the purchase of a new mattress, box spring, and metal frame.
“Then it took them a week to deliver the bed directly to my house. They brought it inside and set it up.” She described herself as “really resourceful,” and was able to find a used couch later in the year.
Embrace Iowa, like Voorhees, distributes all grant money directly to the creditor, which could be a retail store, a landlord, or medical providers.
Applicants must demonstrate Iowa residency and a gross annual income of 200% or less than the federal poverty line, but the simple process prompted Voorhees to encourage friends and colleagues to apply for assistance with their own financial difficulties.
“I would definitely recommend the program to anybody who’s having a hardship,” she told me. “It’s a pretty unique and amazing program that we have in our community.”
How you can help
The current campaign runs through January 31, 2025. Through December 31, generous Des Moines Register readers had already donated $350,607, nearly matching last year’s final total of $381,256 and accounting for 87% of an ambitious $400,000 donation target.
Breaking that record goal would allow Embrace Iowa to help over 500 people and families across the state.
Donations can be made safely and quickly online at iowacommunityaction.org/donate-embrace-iowa , by using a credit card, or through direct deposit from a bank.
And unlike some charitable organizations, the campaign still welcomes checks sent through the mail. They will be warmly received at Embrace Iowa, P.O. Box 10611, Cedar Rapids, IA 52410-0611.
