You can help us provide shelter, stability and prevention!
Make a secure online donation or read below for other ways to help.
Financial Support
Operational Support
23% of operations come from private donations.
General, operational contributions from individuals, churches, groups, and businesses make up the second largest segment of our annual income. Unless designated otherwise, all donations we receive go towards operations, which includes client needs (e.g. food, hygiene items, cleaning items, etc.), client transportation (bus tickets), building utilities, building maintenance, administrative costs, staff salaries, and other operational expenses.
To make an operational gift, you can:
Mail or Delivery
Send or hand deliver cash, check, or money order.
Make checks payable to Willis Dady Homeless Services.
Willis Dady Homeless Services
1247 4th Ave SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
Mail or Delivery
Donate online via PayPal.
Endowment
We Have Two Endowment Funds at the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.
Click/tap on each endowment below to learn its details. To learn more about the endowments, to discuss the Endow Iowa Tax Credit, or to make a donation to the endowment, please contact the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation at (319) 366-2862.
Employer Matching
Did you know your employer might match your donation and make your contribution go further?
Below are a just a few of the many local and national companies that match donations made by their employees. Please contact your HR department to see if your donation is eligible for a company match and/or if your employer is not listed but you'd like to see if they match donations.
Aegon/TransAmerica
Alliant Energy
AT&T
Autozone
Bank of America
Bank of the West
Cargill
Collins Aerospace
GAP
General Mills
Graybar
H&R Block
Home Depot
ING
Ingredion
International Paper
John Deere
Monsanto
Office Depot
Pfizer
Pioneer
Prudential
Ruffalo Noel Levitz
Sprint
Starbucks
State Farm
Thrivent
Toyota
Travelers
Toys R Us
US Bank
Walmart
Wells Fargo
Whirlpool
and more!
Sponsorships
We have two fundraising events each year that need corporate sponsorships.
Each spring and fall we hold fundraising events to help meet our annual budget. Corporate sponsorships are a large source of the income from these events. In exchange for monetary support, sponsors receive promotion on event materials, recognition at the event(s), and other "perks" depending on the sponsor level.
View this year's sponsorship form here to learn more, and contact services@willisdady.org if you have any additional questions.
Current Needs
In addition to monetary donations, donating goods is a great way to support our clients and programs!
Please call ahead or inquire below before bringing a donation to the shelter in order to ensure it is an item we currently need as there are some items we cannot accept and the below list of needs might need to be updated.
Emergency Shelter Needs
(Updated 1/3/2020)
The following items are used on a daily basis in our emergency shelter:
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Tshirts (sizes L-4XL)
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Sweatpants (sizes L-4X)
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Deodorant
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Bath Towels
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Laundry Soap (Liquid)
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Disinfectant Wipes
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Cleaning Supplies
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All Purpose Cleaner
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Toilet Paper
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Paper Towels
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Twin Sheet Sets
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Pillows
Outreach Needs
(Updated 1/3/2020
Winter is here! The following items are vital to keep those living on the streets as safe and healthy as possible!
• Hats
• Gloves / mittens
• Thick socks
• Hand and foot warmers
• Thermal shirts, thermal pants, and / or long underwear
• Adult boots
• Backpacks
• reusable water bottles
The following items are used on a daily basis by our outreach team:
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Big bag of small bags of chips or other non-perishable food that can be eaten on the go
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Umbrellas
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Warm Coats
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Reusable bags
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Adult backpacks
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Baby wipes
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Adult XL diapers
Clothing, Food, and Large Items
Clothing
Due to limited storage space, we generally cannot accept clothing items. We instead refer clients to local clothing closets and also recommend potential donors contact these clothing closets. Olivet Neighborhood Mission, St. Vincent de Paul, and Harambee House are all places we refer our clients that accept donations of clothing.
During fall and winter months we accept winter coats, socks, gloves, hats, scarves, and other cold weather-related clothing items.
Food
Our biggest food need is Sunday Meals. We also accept other perishable and non-perishable food items, including food left over from parties and events. Please call ahead to find out our current needs and if we have refrigerator/storage space for the items you'd like to donate.
Large Items
Due to limited space, we generally do not accept donations of furniture or large items (such as beds, furniture, TVs, etc.). There are some exceptions (such as when a family is moving out soon and the items can be given directly to that family), and individuals interested in donating large items are encouraged to call head to check current needs.
We have many clients who can use items like beds, tables, chairs, and other furniture, but we currently do not have a way to deliver them. If you have any of these items you are looking to donate and also have the ability to deliver them, please reach out. If you don't have items to donate but would like to volunteer to deliver donations, please email to our volunteer coordinator here.
Another option is to donate large items to Stuff, Etc. (252 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids, IA) on Willis Dady's behalf. When these items are sold, a portion of the proceeds is donated to us. Other donation sites that support Willis Dady's clients and might be able to accept large items include Olivet Neighborhood Mission, St. Vincent de Paul, Harambee House, and Goodwill of the Heartland.
Goods Donations
Other Donations
Planned Giving
Would you like to support our clients well into the future?
Perhaps you, a family member, or a friend has experienced homelessness. Maybe you're a Veteran who wants to provide lasting support for future Veterans. Maybe your heart longs for ending homelessness and supporting those in need. Whatever drives your passion for helping those experiencing homelessness, estate planning is a wonderful way to help ensure we continue to provide our services will into the future.
Whether you're interested in naming Willis Dady in your will or bequest, setting up a Charitable Remainder trust or Charitable Gift annuity, or giving a gift of life insurance or appreciated stock, we'd love to talk with you about planned giving options. Please contact our director to learn more about planned giving to Willis Dady.
Online Shopping
AmazonSmile
Do you use Amazon to shop online? Next time, start at smile.amazon.com, and when you select us as your designated charity, 0.5% of your purchase will be donated to Willis Dady! So far, we've received $200 simply because shoppers started at smile.amazon.com rather than amazon.com. It's the same products, prices, and reliability you expect from Amazon and it supports us at the same time!
Giving Assistant
The next time you shop online at a site other than Amazon, consider starting at GivingAssistant.org. By starting at Giving Assistant and then following links to your favorite online stores, you can earn cash back to keep or donate to the non-profit of your choice, including Willis Dady. You can learn more about Giving Assistant here.
Donation Inquiry
To inquire about current donation needs or to ask about donating a specific item, please use the form below or call us. Thank you!