Did you know?

a monthly tidbit about the history of Swing Des Moines

November is a time that many people set aside a few minutes (or days) to consider the reasons they have to be thankful. Most of us have been so very blessed with nice homes, family and friends, jobs, enough food to eat, and of course a completely awesome pastime - swing dancing - and an equally awesome organization devoted to bringing you the very best in instruction and opportunities to dance. (pardon the shameless plug.)

As you may know, Swing Des Moines is a charitable, nonprofit organization. From the beginning, we've wanted to not only promote dancing and support the swing dance community here in central Iowa, but we also wanted to do more - to be a part of the larger central Iowa community, and to give back to that community.

One of the ways we accomplish this is through our annual "Give Thanks For What We've Got" food drive at our November Jive Junction. Take a minute to look through your cupboards for extra canned goods, or toss a few boxes of nonperishable items into your grocery cart next time you shop, and bring them to the next Jive Junction. (We will also accept cash, and you can visit the Food Bank's website for a complete list of items they want/need.)

After the dance, we load all the donated items into our car and drop them off at the Food Bank of Central Iowa. I (Sarah) have made this drop-off myself every year, and the staff are always so grateful for our donation.