CommUnity Crisis Services

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CommUnity Crisis Services

Crisis Services: builtbycommunity.org/services
Food Bank: builtbycommunity.org/pepperwood The Food Bank provides grocery items to Johnson County residents.

CommUnity Crisis Services is a volunteer-driven organization based in Iowa City, Iowa that provides immediate and non-judgmental support for individuals facing an emotional, food, or financial crisis. When any situation has become too difficult for you to cope with alone, we can help. CommUnity provides immediate support through our Food Bank, Financial Support Program, Crisis Helplines, and Mobile Crisis Response. Clients can shop our shelves or receive a delivery once a week. https://builtbycommunity.org/pepperwood/

Financial Support provides necessities such as education and work enabling items, housing and utilities assistance, vouchers for clothing, temporary mailing addresses, transportation assistance, and more. https://builtbycommunity.org/financialsupport/

Crisis Helplines provides free, non-judgmental emotional support to anyone who needs it. Reach us via phone or text at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org/chat

Mobile Crisis Response dispatches mental health counselors to homes, schools, emergency rooms, or public places where a mental health crisis is occurring. To have crisis counselors dispatched to your location, call 1-855-581-8111 and ask for Mobile Crisis. Get involved! You can support our mission by becoming a volunteer or making a donation. Sign up to be a volunteer at https://builtbycommunity.org/volunteer/
Make a donation at https://builtbycommunity.org/give/

Please don’t hesitate to reach out. You are not alone. History:

It’s 1969 on the University of Iowa campus. Two young freshmen return to their Burge Hall dorm room and find the completely unexpected – their roommate has barricaded the door and attempted suicide. They rush her to care and after a long and scary night, are sent home knowing she is going to be physically okay. But in the following days, as the two women deal with both their roommate’s and their own emotional upheaval, they learn there are simply no resources available to help them. That experience launched a campaign of advocacy, for those two young women and on behalf of all University of Iowa students, to establish support services for others in crisis. The two women began knocking on doors and by 1970, had found an ally in Verne Kelley, the Community Mental Health Center’s director at that time. With Mr. Kelley’s help, these students established what would become CommUnity Crisis Services. CommUnity was founded with the philosophy that a client should determine how he or she can best be helped, using a process that ensures dignity to all who are served. This philosophy has facilitated CommUnity’s growth as the community it serves has grown in the past 50 years. A small food pantry was added in 1978 in response to client needs. Clothing and household items became available through vouchers from Goodwill and Crowded Closet in 1983. Throughout the 1980’s, CommUnity worked to expand its suicide prevention services and began offering support for survivors of a suicide loss. Services were developed to respond to the needs of transients and the homeless. In the following decade, a collaboration with the local religious community led to distribution of emergency financial support. The Food Bank grew into a weekly operation and began working with Table-to-Table to distribute locally gleaned food. In recent years, CommUnity has added suicide prevention training and crisis incident stress management services. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Full statement: https://www.fns.usda.gov/civil-rights/usda-nondiscrimination-statement-other-fns-programs

12/18/2025

Huge thank you to United Iowa Financial for their donation of $5,000 to our Food Bank. We're grateful for your support. Thank you SO much!

12/17/2025

Our elves are busy packing 190 grocery deliveries for next Monday and Tuesday, and we need delivery volunteers to help spread holiday cheer!

If you can spare a little time, you can make a big difference by delivering groceries to local families and turning an ordinary box into a holiday surprise. Think of it as being Santa… but with a car and a great playlist. 🚗🎶

Grab a route. Share some joy. Make this Christmas extra special.
Sign up today and help us deliver the magic!

https://buff.ly/caSqt8t

12/17/2025

Project Holiday meal distribution began earlier this week, and on day one we served 158 households in-person at the food pantry and made 40 Project Holiday deliveries to our neighbors who could not travel to us!

But things are just heating up! We're 60% of the way to our goal to feed about 1,500 households this week alone. Can you make a $30 gift to provide one local family with all the ingredients they need to enjoy a home-cooked holiday meal together?

https://buff.ly/c1ypAUc

12/17/2025

HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to Iowa City Pride's HoliGay Pride Night!❤️🎄Along with donations of food and household items, we received $550 in donations for Project Holiday which will provide 18 families with ingredients to make warm holiday meal this year. Thank you so much!

12/17/2025

Are you busy Friday, December, 19? Join us at The Englert for an energetic, funky 'Eufórquestra: Home For the Holidays' Concert!🎶🎷 $2 for every ticket purchased will support our neighbors in crisis.
Get tickets and more information here: https://buff.ly/kHgmeb8

12/16/2025

Project Holiday is underway, and every donation makes a direct, immediate difference. While the holiday season brings warmth and togetherness, many of our neighbors are wondering how they’ll put enough food on the table for their family. With a gift of just $30, you can provide all the groceries a local family needs to cook a warm holiday dinner at home. The demand for food assistance has risen sharply in 2025, and we expect to see 1,500 families visiting the food pantry for Project Holiday next week. ❤️

Donate here: https://buff.ly/3YX8WhP

12/16/2025

Will we see you at ReUnion Brewery's Holiday Beer Dinner this Thursday? 10 % of all profits will benefit CommUnity.🍺❤️
Reserve seats today: https://reunionbrewery.com/holiday-beer-dinner

12/15/2025

"There is no better feeling than helping your neighbors and knowing you’re contributing to the success of our community,” says Julia, our Director of Development.

Starting today, we expect Project Holiday to feed about 1,500 local families this holiday season. A gift of just $30 provides one family with all the ingredients they need to enjoy a home-cooked holiday meal together.

https://buff.ly/O1n9B59

CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank has run Project Holiday for 38 years - helping families in need celebrate during the festive season.

12/13/2025

Service Update: CommUnity Food Bank will be closing at 10:30 a.m. today due to inclement weather.

Please travel safely today and stay indoors as much as you are able to!

12/12/2025

We love working with Iowa City Public Safety! Thank you so much Iowa City Animal Care & Adoption Center!🐱🐶

12/12/2025

We need your help spreading holiday cheer!

Project Holiday is just a few days away, and we’re looking for volunteers to deliver meals to local families. This is one of the most meaningful (and fun!) ways to give back. Just an hour or two of your time helps ensure our neighbors can enjoy a warm holiday meal at home.

If you’re able to lend a hand, we’d be so grateful. Sign up to deliver meals and make a real difference this season.

https://buff.ly/P3DhyKF

12/12/2025

Feeling stressed? Take a deep breath with us. Inhale… exhale… repeat.

If you need someone to talk to, we're here for you 24/7. Call, text, or chat 988.

Address

1121 Gilbert Court
Iowa City, IA
52240

Telephone

+13193512726

Website

http://www.builtbycommunity.org/

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