West Des Moines Community Schools (WDMCS) has been giving back as 2025 comes to a close. The district and its schools engaged in several meaningful initiatives to support our community this year.

Here are some highlights to show how WDMCS students, families, and staff are making a difference.

• The WDMCS Family Engagement team collaborates with schools and the Food Bank of Iowa to provide necessary nutrition to students and families through eight school food pantries. The pantries are open to students and families and served almost 42,000 people in 2024-25. See all food pantry times and locations.
  • We also want to thank the community members who rallied to volunteer at our pantries after SNAP food benefits were delayed in November, increasing the demand on food pantry services. If you are in a position to provide support, consider donating to the Food Bank of Iowa or volunteering in our pantries. Contact Sarah Willoughby with questions.
     
• Valley High School Student Council’s Nov. 24 charity dodgeball tournament raised $1,185 for the Tiger Pride Supply, which provides clothes and school supplies to WDMCS students and families in need. Thank you to all who participated! 
   
• Students, staff, and community members donated more than 150 units of blood at Truman’s Miracle Blood Drive, hosted at Valley Dec. 2. Almost 150 people — including 110 first-time donors — donated 152 total units at the drive set up by Valley’s National Honor Society, LifeServe, and Truman Davis' family.
   
• Students in Mr. Mahoney’s marketing and advertising class at Valley led a campaign to raise awareness and fundraise for the Movember Foundation, a global charity that addresses men’s health. The class raised more than $2,200 and inspired teachers to run more than 290 miles collectively during the month of November. The initiative was featured on WHO TV’s Scholastic Spotlight.
   
• Valley Key Club members made tie blankets to donate to Blank Children's Hospital for their December project. The club organizes monthly volunteer projects that serve and support the community.
   
• Valley Southwoods Freshman High School is raising money for holiday gifts through a Penny Wars fundraiser. Through a partnership with West Des Moines Human Services’ Giftland program, the dollars raised will provide 100 toys and books for kids in our community.
• Walnut Creek Campus provided 30 families in need with holiday meals this year. Staff from Walnut Creek, the Home School Assistance Program, and the district offices, as well as community members, donated the food and ingredients needed to make traditional American Thanksgiving meals.
   
• WDMCS Community Education Service Learning coordinated projects at the junior high schools. Stilwell students wrote and decorated cards for deployed Iowans, while Indian Hills collected almost $2,000 and more than 1,200 items during their annual Feed the PODS Container Food Drive. Indian Hills also partnered with the Clive Lions Club to purchase gifts that go directly to families in their community.
   
• Each grade at Crossroads Park Elementary will engage in unique activities for a “Season of Sharing” as part of this year’s winter parties. Students will decorate food pantry packages, create tie blankets for local hospitals, cut out and write snowflake-shaped notes for the West Des Moines Police Department, and more. All families are invited to join their students in participating in the activities organized in partnership with the schools Parent Teacher Association.
   
• Hillside Elementary will host their first Library Night Dec. 16 where families can check out library books for winter break, enjoy hot cocoa, and stock up on grocery items. The school also hosted a Food Drive Night and winter gear drive in November. Over 100 Hillside students benefited from the drive thanks to anonymous donors and community partners at United Methodist.
   
• Jordan Creek Elementary helped assemble birthday cake kits and wrote birthday messages that will be distributed at food pantries across the district. These kits will be provided to patrons when a family member is celebrating a birthday. The school also conducted a winter warmth drive for students in need of winter gear.
   
• Western Hills Elementary is collecting coats, gloves, and boots for students in need of winter gear as we deal with significant early snowfall before winter break.