Midwest Mission Iowa is open to volunteers Mon - Thurs 8:30am - 4pm, Fri + Sat by appointment
Reservations are required to volunteer. Space is limited to 12 volunteers per shift per day.
The Fair Trade Gift Shop is open Mon-Thurs 8:30am-4pm, and some Saturdays 9am-12pm.
Welcome to Midwest Mission Iowa!
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In June of 2023, Midwest Mission officially opened its second location in Jefferson, Iowa.
Midwest Mission Iowa will be focusing on a few core relief projects: Personal Dignity Kits, Student Kits, weaving plastic homeless mats, and Rice Meal packing. We will add new projects as needs change and as we grow. Volunteers will use the same Volunteer Matrix to sign up for volunteer shifts, which can be reserved in half-day or whole-day increments. We currently have capacity for 12 volunteers. During breaks, volunteers can shop in our fair trade gift shop and explore the historic community of Jefferson--a 2023 Iowa Tourism Award winner. There are many options for dining within walking distance of our facility.
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Midwest Mission Iowa will also accept donations. Click here to see what items are accepted at Midwest Mission.
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The Midwest Mission Fair Trade Store and Gift Shop is located at the Midwest Mission Iowa location. Stop in and pick up a gift for a loved one, or some Midwest Mission gear. Open Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 9am-12pm.
Schedule Your Volunteer Shift
To volunteer at Midwest Mission, all individuals and teams must register and reserve a spot.
For Team Leaders and Individual Volunteers
(Team Leaders will schedule their entire team)
Contact our Reservation Coordinator, Pat Wright, with any questions: 217-697-4063 or pat@midwestmission.org
Reserve a spot for you and/or your team to volunteer at Midwest Mission Iowa using Volunteer Matrix.
This applies to day teams, teams staying for multiple days, and individuals.
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Go to the Reservation Calendar through Volunteer Matrix using the button below.
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If you have never volunteered before, click "New Volunteer Registration" to register you and/or your team. If you are a returning volunteer, log in with your information.
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Once you have logged in, complete your Volunteer Profile in Volunteer Matrix
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If you are the team leader, click find/create volunteer group to find or add your team to your profile including any known team members. You will need to add their emails in order to invite them to make their profile.
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Click on the Wall Calendar Icon to have a better view of available dates.
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Find an available date you would like to volunteer and click on the Mission Volunteer Shift(s) you would like to reserve.
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If you are scheduling a team, click "Scheduling Group" and select the number who will be attending. Add known volunteers in your group.
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Once completed, you will receive a confirmation email.
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You can return to your profile at any time to adjust the number or the people attending.
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Contact our Reservation Coordinator, Pat Wright, with any questions: 217-697-4063 or pat@midwestmission.org
Material Fee
Full day | $12 per person per day
Part day | $6 per person per shift​
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If you are booking one of our Saturday options, the cost is $12 per person for the half-day.
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Reservations for 2025 will have updated material fees:
Full day | $16 per person per day
Part day | $8 per person per shift
(Saturdays will be $16 per person, per half-day)
On-Campus Lodging Fees
Dorm | $50 per room per night
Duplex | $50 per night
Studio Apartment | $50 per night
RV Lodging | $30 per night
Tent Camping | $10 per night​
Payment Schedule​
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Team Leaders are responsible for all the payments for their team booking
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Non-Refundable Reservation Fees are due by midnight the day you book. If unpaid, your reservation will be automatically canceled.
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If you are booking more than 8 weeks before your arrival date: the Non-Refundable Reservation Fee is due by midnight the day you book, and then half of the remaining balance is due 8 weeks prior to your arrival.
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If you are booking less than 8 weeks from your arrival date: the Non-Refundable Reservation Fee and half of your remaining balance are due by midnight the day you book. If not your reservation will be canceled.
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Payments will need to be made in Volunteer Matrix by credit card or electronic check/bank transfer (routing number and account number required).
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You will receive email reminders from Volunteer Matrix regarding all your payments.
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No refunds will be provided after your 8-week deadline. In addition, if you book less than 8 weeks prior to your reservation date, there will be no refunds.
How to Pay on Volunteer Matrix​
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Once you have reserved your volunteers shift(s) and/or on-campus lodging, you must pay your fees in accordance with the payment schedule to the left.
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To pay, log in on Volunteer Matrix
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If you have charges to be payed, a "Charges & Credits" box will pop up in red on the main page.
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You can either see the detailed charges, print charges and credits, or click to submit payment.
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To pay, click the boxes of what you would like to pay now. On the page it will tell you when items are due.
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Once you have selected, you can choose to pay by credit card or by check or bank transfer.
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Fill out your information and submit the secure payment.
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Overnight Accommodations
At this time, we do not have on-site accommodations, but there are off-site options available.
Cobblestone Hotel and Suites
771 Wild Rose Lane, Jefferson, IA 50129
staycobblestone.com/ia/jefferson/
Mention "Midwest Mission" when reserving your stay to get a special rate.
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Jefferson First United Methodist Church
307 S Wilson Ave, Jefferson, IA 50129
Jefferson FUMC has dorm space available for up to 12 guests.
The cost is $10 per person, per night.
It includes:
- 6 sets of bunk beds (sleeps 12)
- Multiple common areas with a TV + streaming
- Full Kitchen
- Other activities such as a large recreational space with shuffleboard, a prayer labyrinth, a memory garden, and basketball hoops and a tennis court next door at Russell Park.
*At this moment, there are no showers available at the church. Showers are available at the REC center just a block away. Showers plan to be added soon.
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For more information, or to book your stay, please contact the church: 515-386-4411 or email secretary@jeffumc.com
*This stay is through Jefferson FUMC, and is not tied to Midwest Mission Iowa
Experience Jefferson
During your stay in Jefferson, Iowa, there are a lot of local attractions and activities, food, and shopping!
Visit experiencejeffersoniowa.com to learn about all of the fun things you can do while in Jefferson.
HOW LONG ARE VOLUNTEER SHIFTS?
We are open to volunteers:
Monday - Thursday 8:30am - 4pm.
Fri+Sat by appointment. Contact iowa@midwestmission.org to inquire about a shift.
You can serve:
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A day
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A week
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Or anything in between.
There are 2 shifts a day. You are welcome to serve for one or both shifts. During breaks, volunteers can shop in our Fair Trade Gift Shop and explore the historic community of Jefferson - a 2023 Iowa Tourism Award winner. There are many options for dining within walking distance of our facility.
Morning Shift 8:30am - 11:30 am
Afternoon Shift 12:30pm - 4:00 pm
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WHAT TYPE OF WORK WILL I BE DOING?
At Midwest Mission, we strive to accommodate a wide variety of ability levels, from sit down work to manual labor.
While at Midwest Mission, volunteers will:
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Pack kits
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Sort items
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Sew
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Or whatever the current requested needs are at the time
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WHO CAN VOLUNTEER?
We welcome both teams and individuals to serve with us.
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Serving as a team is a great way to build community, get new people involved, and make a great impact together. Teams must be scheduled together.
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Serving as an individual is a great way to meet mission-minded people from all over the United States. If you are local - or like to travel - you can become a "regular" and serve consistently with us.
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WHAT AGE CAN VOLUNTEER?
Individual volunteers must be age 18 or older.
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For youth groups, those 14-18 years old must have a chaperone ratio of 1 chaperone per 5 students.
Students 11-13 years old must have a chaperone ratio of 1 chaperone per 4 students.
Chaperones must remain with the volunteer and their group the whole time.
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DO YOU HAVE OVERNIGHT ACCOMODATIONS?
There are no overnight accommodations onsite. There are local lodging options at a discounted rate. You can see those here. There are also several campsites in and around Jefferson, Iowa
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DO YOU TAKE WALK-INS?
We do not take walk-in volunteers at this time. But, anyone is welcome to shop at our Fair Trade Store during open hours.
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You must schedule a volunteer shift to serve with us at Midwest Mission. This is because we have a daily limit of 12 mission volunteers. We want to give each person a great volunteer experience and make sure our high quality standards are still being met.
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When scheduling your group, please sign up for as many as you will bring - we cannot accommodate more than are signed up.