The Greenleaf Center

03/09/2026

Our window restoration expert, Chad Nelson of stopped by this weekend to check some details on site and help us pick paint colors. So exciting!

We know he just wanted to stop in and visit his favorite window weights. These are the biggest he's ever seen, weighing in at a whopping 23 pounds each! Considering each window sash gets two weights and they are measured to counterbalance the weight of the sash, those are some heavy windows! Hope you're getting your bicep curls in, Chad!

03/07/2026

Neighbors like Greg Mace are what make our work at the Greenleaf Center possible. Thanks for helping us re-hang our signs today, Greg!

03/06/2026

Building community and sharing sustainable inspiration at Green Drinks. 💚

03/04/2026

The new Multicultural Pantry opening at the North Side Community Center will stock specific foods that are familiar to our neighbors from many parts of the world. Keeping those cultural food traditions alive is a precious link to a family's home country and adds beautiful vibrancy and richness to our neighborhoods here in Des Moines.

We'll be honored to donate produce from the Greenleaf Center's Community Garden to this pantry as well as the other mutual aid community fridges around the north and east sides. Watch this space for future Greenleaf Garden announcements!

02/12/2026

So excited to work with this group of students at Drake's Bright College! They're putting their creative minds to work on a project about the Greenleaf Center and we can't wait to see what they come up with.

01/30/2026

It's been quiet over here, but our good friend Chad Nelson at Red Beard Restoration is busy in his shop making new storm windows for our building. In Chad's words: "Oh, so a 7'9" storm window is TALL tall."

11/04/2025

Cleaning out your garden and still have some produce left at the end of the season? Feel free to drop off any extra at the Greenleaf Center free produce stand! It's right in front of our building at 1350 E. Washington Ave. Also welcome are clean grocery bags.

10/27/2025

We are so grateful for the support from local businesses and the Polk County Supervisors. Joining your efforts with all our neighborhood volunteers and individual donors makes our work possible. Thank you!

10/27/2025

Thank you so much to everyone who attended and donated to our trivia night fundraiser! Congratulations to our top two teams who battled it out head-to-head in a dramatic tie breaker! We're thrilled to announce we met our fundraising goal and we're ready to move ahead with some big projects at the Greenleaf Center before the weather gets too cold. We couldn't do all this without your support.

10/17/2025

Thank you to Sequel Architecture + Interiors for capturing a bit of the action at our Trivia Night fundraiser!

10/15/2025

Many thanks to for planting anew tree in front of our building! We promise to take good care of it!

10/13/2025

We love helping keep our neighborhood beautiful. Here's another opportunity to pitch in! Join Urban Ambassadors on Oct. 26th for the annual Trash Bash in Birdland Park and Union Park!

Mark your calendar for the October Trash Bash!

We will provide trash bags, vests, and gloves! All you need to do is bring yourself.

In partnership with the adopt-a-park program through the City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation department, we will gather by the river to clean up the Birdland Park & Marina.

If you have not cleaned with us before, please visit:
Signup/Waiver form link:
https://cityofdesmoinesparksandrecreationdepartment.volun...
Form password: UA

If you have any trouble finding the location, please call Kyle at 815-295-9696.