Helping Hands Center
Food pantry, a Food Bank of Iowa partner.
- Hours
- Call for hours
- Address
- 710 Washington Ave E, Albia, IA 52531
Call first. Hours come from the Food Bank of Iowa's own list. Please call to confirm before you go.
Monroe County, Iowa
Free help in Monroe County, Iowa
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Free help from local charities, food banks, and state and federal programs. Free to use, no sign-up. Every listing shows the day we checked it.
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13confirmed listings
1towns covered
3food pantries and meal programs
October 9last checked
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Food this week in Monroe County
Pick a day to see which pantries are open and when. Times come from each pantry's confirmed schedule. Tap Call to reach them.
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Iowa
13 places
Some safety programs do not share an address, so they are not on the map. They are listed under Safety below.
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Food pantries and meals3
SCICAP Albia
Food pantry, a Food Bank of Iowa partner.
- Hours
- Call for hours
- Address
- 221 S. Clinton St., Albia, IA 52531
Call first. Hours come from the Food Bank of Iowa's own list. Please call to confirm before you go.
Food Bank of Iowa (call to find a pantry near you)
Food Bank of Iowa serves Monroe County through local partner pantries but does not publish a public list of them. Call and they will tell you the nearest pantry and when it is open.
- Hours
- Please call for hours
- Address
- 2220 E. 17th Street, Des Moines, IA 50316
Call first. Call to find the nearest pantry and its hours.
Utility bills and rent help1
South Central Iowa Community Action Program (SCICAP)
Community action agency for this county. Apply here for LIHEAP, the federal help with heating and electric bills, and ask about weatherization and other family programs. If you cannot reach them, call the Iowa HHS Community Action Agencies Unit at 515-776-8871.
- Hours
- Please call for hours
- Address
- 1711 Osceola Ave. Suite 212, Chariton, IA 50049
Call first. Hours are not listed. Call first to ask what help is open now and what to bring.
Housing1
Albia Housing Agency
Public housing apartments and Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) for low-income families, older adults and people with disabilities.
- Hours
- Please call for hours
- Address
- 120 S A St, Albia, IA 52531
Call first. Office hours are not published. Call to ask about openings and the waiting list.
Recovery and mental health help2
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 to reach a trained crisis counselor any time, for a mental health crisis, thoughts of suicide or a substance use crisis. It is free and confidential. Veterans can press 1.
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential treatment referral and information for mental health and substance use, in English and Spanish. You can also text your ZIP code to 435748.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours a day, every day
Veterans services2
Veterans Crisis Line
Dial 988, then press 1. Or text 838255, or chat at veteranscrisisline.net. Free and confidential. You do not need to be enrolled in VA health care.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours a day, every day
VA national phone lines
VA benefits: 800-827-1000. VA health benefits: 877-222-8387. Homeless veterans, open 24 hours: 877-424-3838. MyVA411, the main VA line, open 24 hours: 800-698-2411.
- Hours
- Benefits line, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Eastern
Free legal help1
Iowa Legal Aid
Free civil legal help for people with low income, funded by the federal Legal Services Corporation: evictions and housing, family law and protective orders, public benefits, consumer debt and more. Call or apply online; they will tell you if they can take your case.
- Hours
- Please call for hours
Call first. Hours are not listed. Call first to ask what help is open now and what to bring.
Safety and crisis help1
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Free, confidential help for anyone hurt or threatened by a partner or family member: safety planning, shelter referrals and someone to talk to. Call 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or chat at TheHotline.org. In an emergency, call 911.
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Government offices2
Iowa Child and Dependent Adult Abuse Hotline
Report abuse of a child or a dependent adult to Iowa Health and Human Services, any time. If a child is in danger right now, call 911 first.
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Iowa HHS help line (food, cash and medical help)
The Iowa Health and Human Services line for questions or help applying for SNAP food benefits, cash help and other assistance programs.
- Hours
- Please call for hours
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Checked, dated and corrected by neighbors
- 1
Matched to the source
A listing goes up only after its phone and its address or hours match the organization's own page, or an official list.
- 2
Dated on every card
Each card shows the day we checked it. If sources disagree, we say call first instead of guessing.
- 3
Fixed by the community
See something wrong, or know a place we missed? Send it in. Nothing changes until we have checked it.
Neighbors helping neighbors
Help is closer than you think in Monroe County
Questions people ask
Where can I get free food in Monroe County, Iowa?
We have confirmed 3 places that can help in Monroe County: Helping Hands Center in Albia (Call for hours), (641) 932-5984, call first; SCICAP Albia (Call for hours), (641) 932-5107, call first; Food Bank of Iowa (call to find a pantry near you), (515) 564-0330, call first. Please call first to confirm the ones marked call first. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.
Where can I get help paying rent or a utility bill in Monroe County, Iowa?
We have confirmed one place that can help in Monroe County: South Central Iowa Community Action Program (SCICAP), (641) 774-8133. Please call first to confirm. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.
Where can I get housing help in Monroe County, Iowa?
We have confirmed one place that can help in Monroe County: Albia Housing Agency, (641) 932-7859. Please call first to confirm. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.
Where can I get help with addiction or mental health in Monroe County, Iowa?
We have confirmed 2 places that can help in Monroe County: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), 988; SAMHSA National Helpline (Open 24 hours a day, every day), (800) 662-4357. If you are in crisis right now, call or text 988. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.
Where can I get help with veterans benefits in Monroe County, Iowa?
We have confirmed 2 places that can help in Monroe County: Veterans Crisis Line (Open 24 hours a day, every day), 988; VA national phone lines (Benefits line, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Eastern), (800) 827-1000. A veteran in crisis can call 988 and press 1, or text 838255.
Where can I get free legal help in Monroe County, Iowa?
We have confirmed one place that can help in Monroe County: Iowa Legal Aid, (800) 532-1275. Please call first to confirm. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.
Is HelpByState free to use?
Yes. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to pay. Every listing is free, and so is adding or correcting one.
Why do some listings say call first?
Church and community pantries often change days, move, or close for a holiday. When the sources we checked disagree, or an organization does not publish its hours, we say so instead of guessing. A quick call saves a trip.
I run a pantry or a program. How do I get listed or fix our hours?
Use the Add a listing or Suggest an update form. We confirm it against your own page or contact you, then change the listing. It is free.
Is this the same as 2-1-1?
No. 2-1-1 is a statewide phone line and database run by the state network. HelpByState is an independent, county-by-county directory that shows the date each listing was checked. If you want to talk to a person, dial 2-1-1.
Where do the hours and phone numbers come from?
From each organization's own website or page, official sources such as housing authority and WIC clinic lists, and the public Find Food map of the Food Bank of Iowa find food map. We list the source on every card.
Something missing, or out of date?
If you run a pantry or program, or you saw a listing that is wrong, tell us. We check every message against the organization's own page before anything changes.