One way that Iowa State community members can give back to one another is through the ISU GivePulse platform.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a need for the ISU GivePulse platform. The GivePulse hub lists links to volunteer and networking opportunities in an effort to promote community engagement. In recent weeks, the network has put out a call for food donations, child care for essential workers and volunteers for book distribution programs.

GivePulse works in partnership with the ISU Community Campus Partnership for Health (CCPH), an outreach and service hub that works together with the ISU Translational Research Network to promote community engagement.

“The vision of the ISU CCPH group is to establish and sustain mutually beneficial partnerships with community-based organizations and programs,” according to the ISU GivePulse website. “Community partners can benefit from the expertise and passion of faculty and students working through their organizations. Students and faculty, in turn, benefit from the opportunities to apply their knowledge and skill in real-world applications.”

Individuals and organizations can create a GivePulse profile to track and measure the impact of their efforts. These profiles can then create events, either private or public, that request volunteers for a variety of different projects and organizations.

In response to COVID-19, many groups from United Way and the Salvation Army to the Foodbank of Iowa and the Assault Care Center Extending Shelter & Support (ACCESS) are currently accepting donations and looking for child-care volunteers for emergency employees.

To sign up for events or to find out more, go to the ISU GivePulse website and use the “Events” tab to find people in need of help in the Iowa State community.