Midwest Food Bank is a blessing to so many people! The staff and volunteers are always happy,…read moreamazing, fast, and keep Jesus Christ at the center of it all! Our Church, God's Glory Apostolic Church International, provides a food pantry service for the local community, and we partner Midwest Food Bank for food and hygiene items for individuals and families in need. We often run out of everything within hours of receiving things because of these valuable goods that really help the community.

I enjoy volunteering whenever I can. I had signed up to do some volunteer work with a team in…read moreanother country. But before heading out on our trip, we decided to come here first to do some team building so that we could get to know each other. Midwest Food Bank is a faith-based organization. Their mission is to alleviate hunger and malnutrition locally and throughout the world and provide disaster relief. It is a great place for groups, families and individuals to come and volunteer at. Sign up is easy and they have daily shifts available to help pack and organize food boxes in their warehouse. They make it simple to find a shift that works best for your schedule. When you arrive and check in, Midwest Food Bank shows a video about the organization and explains how food will be packaged. Volunteers are then assigned to different stations. Because you are working with food, hand washing is required and so is wearing a hair net (they provide them). The staff here at Midwest Food Bank is great and they making volunteering fun. It is a great place to bring your kids too! Midwest Food Bank currently distributes nearly $40 million worth of food to over 2,200 non-profit organizations each month.

Wonderful volunteers full of resources and referrals for our community. Grateful for how kind they…read morewere to others.

If you are a family with a child who has special needs, please be extremely cautious before using…read moreHouse of Refuge. I had lived there since June 2025 with zero issues, but everything changed the moment my son needed medical help. On 9/24/25, I informed them that my 14-year-old autistic son had been admitted to an inpatient psychiatric facility for suicidal ideations. Only two days later, on 9/26/25, staff member Sofia Spanarkel contacted me demanding that I sign over his private medical records. House of Refuge is not a medical or psychiatric facility and is not covered under HIPAA, so I asked for their specific concerns in writing. They never responded. Instead, without warning, I was issued a 30-day notice to vacate on 10/3/25. After months of having no issues, the timing makes the motive impossible to ignore. It felt like direct retaliation for refusing to hand over my child's sensitive medical information. When I submitted a formal complaint to the director, Kayla Kolar, I was not met with any explanation or concern--instead, I received an email stating that all communication must go through their lawyer. For a place that claims to support families in crisis, this response was deeply unsettling. Families dealing with medical emergencies deserve compassion and support, not intimidation or displacement. No parent should ever feel punished for protecting their child's privacy. Based on my experience, I strongly warn other families to think twice before relying on House of Refuge.

We adopted our pup friend in February. We have owned many dogs over the years and have dealt with…read moreseveral shelters. We have found that this shelter really cares about their pups, especially what type of home an adoptee is going to be part of. They do a great job of matching up their new family members. Our pup has become the BEST addition to our family. She was from a hoarding situ and was skittish, but she has become one of the sweetest family members we have ever had and we ADORE her! Valley Dogs is an extremely caring group that really does match up pups and their families. We are grateful they care so much about the pups in need! We highly recommend them for adopting your next family member. They truly are an awesome group!

Valley Dogs is a local rescue group run by the most compassionate people I have ever met. I have…read morefostered dogs for several local and non-local rescue groups including Valley Dogs, but what strikes me most about Valley Dogs is the animals they choose to pull from the shelters. Valley Dogs is run by a man named Michael West. From what I've observed, Michael chooses to take on the dogs that need the most help medically - the dogs hit by cars, obese owner surrenders, pregnant owner surrenders, older dogs with big hearts (figuratively) and medical conditions... I am not sure how he manages to finance all of this. Valley Dogs holds a few fund raisers through out the year, but I know the cost to get his dogs in good enough health to be adopted must be daunting. I can see the stress in his face every time I see him. However, he keeps pulling dogs in great need from the shelter because I don't think he can turn away. All of Valley Dogs rescues are fostered before they go up for adoption. This is a fantastic thing. Michael takes on a lot of these dogs. There is always a beautiful and kind red head (his wife?) that is with him at the adoptions and an older veteran as well. They foster a lot of the dogs, too. They know the quirks and idiosyncrasies of each of the dogs they foster. This helps with placement. I love this group. They are human, but they must be hidden angels because the dogs they are helping are the ones most definitely the most in need. They are very often at the PetsMart on 20th and Highland on the weekends trying to find homes for their dogs. If you see them and want a specific type of dog, I would imagine they would scour the shelters for you

Came here to the Mesa enter and was graciously greeted when the door opened at 9:00 a.m. I came…read moreduring Saturday hours.... As it was my first time I had to fill out a short form and show my drivers license or if you didn't have that you could bring a utility bill or picture ID.... Oh, I should mention your given a # as you enter the facility.... When your turn comes up a person is assigned to you to take you shopping.... When your finished the helper takes your groceries to your vehicle.... I opted for prayer before I left It was a wonderful experience and I'll eat well for the month.... Your welcome once a month to shop...

This place is amazing. This is a community outreach center that provides clothing and food and…read morehygiene to those struggling. My daughter and her best friend went there today to volunteer and had so much fun helping . They are excited to go back and help . They were so warm and welcoming and it truly is such a great place . My daughter is looking forward to volunteering their every weekend for fun because she enjoyed it so much

It was my first time to volunteer and I felt soooo good, knowing that I was part of a little…read morecommunity and helping others-- to make it happen! We were all pack the good bags for 3,000 bags and it was the fast track as everyone tried their bags to make sure everything went very well. The staffs here( at this location specifically) are super friendly and they are well organized which make the work run smoothly. If anyone looking for volunteering and not sure which one to start, try the United Food Bank, helping our community--together we can achieve more :) I will definitely be there again soon.

This is a partner food bank with United Way and we had the chance to volunteer here over the…read moreweekend. Our task was to sort foods into various categories in order for the Food Bank to be able to fill order requests for various distribution sites (such as other food banks, domestic violence centers, homeless shelters, etc.). Our shift was from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. and everything was started on time with an intro into the purpose of the bank and the purpose of United Way overall. We broke out into "teams" and were assigned tasks from there and everything got underway. By 11 a.m. we had wrapped up all of the food needing to be sorted / boxed and we were able to leave early. Notes: wear weather appropriate clothes (it's not climate controlled) and wear closed toes shoes for safety Overall: A It's a charity and it's a chance to volunteer and give back - what's not to love??

This was my first time volunteering at the new location. Great organization for a great cause…read more As always, I arrived 15 minutes early and followed all of the instructions. Appreciate the lockers for my personal belongings at the presentation area. The rest of the steps and assembly lines were just the way I remembered it. I volunteered at a new station this time, which I very much enjoyed. Totally got a bicep workout out of it. Thank you, FMSC, for a meaningful experience and wonderful memories all these years!

First time to volunteer with this organization and it was an amazing experience! The ease of…read moresigning up for shifts was great, everything is done on-line. We arrived about 15 minutes prior to our 9am shift and there were several groups there as well. We were brought into the large room where the market is located (more in a moment on this) and found lockers to lock our things up (you can't wear hoop earrings, rings, necklaces, etc.). They give you small plastic baggies to put your stuff in; you are also required to wear a hair net and men with facial hair was also required to wear a beard net. We watched a couple of videos that explained what we would be packing and where it was shipped to as well as specifics for the actual packing station. It is so rewarding to know that these Mano Packs are shipped to countries where children suffer greatly from malnutrition. At the end they actually give you a sample of what we packed. It was like a savory oatmeal and included rice, protein, a mixture of dehydrated veggies and a scoop of powdered vitamins and nutrients. It was good actually. We were at a packing station with some others including children and once everyone decided on which job we wanted to do, after a few minutes and bags, we found our packing rhythm. They have a very precise method to the packing of these meal bags and with music, cheering, etc...the two hours flew by! If you are looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity, check them out. We are going back for a second time and I think we'll make this one of our regular volunteer opportunities. Staff working is great and helpful and so passionate about the work they are doing! The marketplace includes crafts made by the people of the different villages around the world. We learned that not only are the families given food packets but they are also signed up for resources and employment opportunities and everything else in an effort to make their lives better. The marketplace is amazing!

Amazing dedicated people and Awesome organization! Well organized team!…read more This place has helped so many people around the world! Its Amazing! It is a blessing for local AZ residents to be able to volunteer with them. Never thought my few hours would change someone elses life. Great Volunteering opportunity! Thank you to All the people who work here and who volunteer their time to make it all happen

Great Organization to donate items to the needy. Love to help out. Always have a great time.read more

Free little library, rentable plots for gardening, gorgeous flower beds, & one of the best…read morerestaurants in Mesa: Republica Empanada! Beautiful and well maintained in our little urban oasis in Mesa, Az.

Video of the peaceful Mesa Urban Garden with water sounds, birds singing, colorful flowers and…read morebutterflies. Learn to grow today.

What a great place, both the boutique & the larger store have some great items for great prices. I…read morealways find fun & useful items here. Plus the purchases help support a wonderful organization.

Got a few fun things! The prices are fair. The place is clean and organized. I'll go back!read more

Typically, after we try to sell a bunch of clothes, , things that we aren't able to do we know that…read morethey're still high quality and would like to see them go to the community where possible so a lot of our items end up being brought here. The best way to package everything is to put it in garbage bags to make it easier for the staff members to move, go through, and sort as needed. They are super friendly and the drop-off hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 AM to 2 PM.

This is the best family resources place for people who need assistance with clothing. shoes…read more Towels. Pillows. Bedding. Etc I highly recommend this place to everyone.