Celebrating 15 Years of Service

Fifteen years ago, one family embarked on a weekly day of service that would quickly evolve into what is now affectionately referred to as a ministry. Filling their vehicle with survival supplies, warm meals and blankets, they spent the day showing kindness and unconditional love to people experiencing homelessness in Des Moines. 

“We never intended to start an organization,” Joe Stevens recalls. “This was a private calling and family volunteer effort, but God had other plans.”

In 2008, Joe, his wife Jacki, and their son Caleb founded what’s now known as Joppa, a multifaceted nonprofit organization. With many dedicated volunteers, donors and supporters, Joppa has helped more than 575 central Iowans overcome homelessness.

“One special thing about Joppa is that we are faith-based,” says Jacki. “We have relied on God as our ultimate source, and He has always supplied everything we need. He has brought so many wonderful donors, partners and volunteers around us to propel us to where He wants us to go.”

On December 2, 2008, three months after Joe, Jacki and Caleb started delivering meals and supplies, another organization stopped providing thousands of dollars of heaters and fuel to homeless individuals each month during winter. The Joppa founders immediately felt a call to pick up this vital need, begin weekly heat deliveries and start helping people find housing to get off the streets.

“This was all taking place in 2008 following the recession, and I had recently exited a technology company I had co-founded, so we didn’t have a source of income at the time,” recalls Joe. “We just asked God to provide the way, and we would do the work.”

Launching the Winter Survival Heat Program deliveries and beginning to provide housing assistance would prove to be important milestones that put Joppa on a trajectory of growth in both size and impact. Joppa has since expanded into an organization with thousands of volunteers who play critical roles in weekly outreach, winter heat deliveries, organizing and delivering supplies and meals, and making personally significant contributions to ensure Joppa continues to meet the needs of families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

Each volunteer and supporter has a different origin story regarding their connection to Joppa. For Rich and Kim Willis, an event through church acquainted them with Joe, Jacki, and the Joppa mission to help homeless families and individuals survive, find housing and rebuild their lives.

“We volunteered for Sunday Outreach before the pandemic,” says Kim. “It gave us the opportunity to meet other volunteers and to see the mission with a hands-on experience of connecting with men and women in need. Joppa has been helping the homeless population in Des Moines for 15 years. Without them, where would these individuals be today?”

For Kory and Penny Schramm, it was friends who “put the fire in them” to get involved.

“We began volunteering with Joppa 14 years ago,” says Penny, whose pastor friend and his wife connected them to Joppa. “We started alongside them in a homeless route for a while and soon felt the heavenly nudge to engage full-time and make Joppa a priority ministry in our lives.”

The Schramms would eventually serve monthly on an Aftercare route, which they still continue today. It has even grown into a family affair on holidays when they invite their five children, extended family, and friends along on their routes. According to Penny, they believe it’s important for people to see the ministry, understand the needs in the community, and meet the people Joppa serves.

“God calls on us to love our neighbors, especially those in greatest need,” says Penny. “We continue to pour ourselves into Joppa because we believe there’s no organization in our community that more passionately fulfills this commandment. We are so grateful for the continual opportunity to plug into this kind of strong ministry.”

As Joppa’s volunteer base grew over the past decade, so did the needs of the community they served. Last year, the number of homeless individuals who sought assistance from Joppa doubled compared to the previous year – signaling the lingering effects of an affordable housing crisis, ongoing challenges from COVID-19, and impacts from inflation.

In 2021, Joppa opened the doors to the Homeless Resource Center, which acts as a central hub for people seeking supplies, assistance, and referrals, as well as the staff and volunteers that serve them. The following year, they celebrated the grand opening of Thriftmart, a nonprofit Joppa store that offers a high-quality thrifting experience supporting the Joppa mission.

Lori Drafahl learned about Joppa during a film production class where Joe and Caleb were also students. She heard them discussing Joppa and its mission and was compelled to join their volunteer video team.

“I had never heard of Joppa and felt God was nudging me to get involved,” Lori says. “Seeing and hearing homeless people tell their heartbreaking stories firsthand had a profound impact on me — it was very different from other jobs that I could just move on from.”

While 15 years is an incredible milestone, Joe, Jacki, Caleb and the Joppa volunteers and supporters know it’s only the beginning. There is more work to be done and more progress to be made when it comes to ending homelessness in our communities before it doubles again.

“You can feel there’s a partnership with God at the center of Joppa,” says Lori. “It’s a huge blessing to see Him working in so many different ways in the lives of staff, volunteers, and the people being served.”

“Being on this journey for the past 15 years has been humbling,” says Joe. “We’re excited to see where God takes Joppa next!”