Meals from the Heartland Completes Biggest Hunger Fight to Date

A news release from Meals from the Heartland:

Thousands of volunteers from across Iowa, and even the country, came together this week to take part in the nation’s largest volunteer food packaging event. 

By the end of the event Saturday, 5,171,040 meals had been packaged over four days by almost 15,000 volunteers.  This Annual Hunger Fight surpassed last year’s goal by 49,032, making it the biggest Hunger Fight for the organization to date.

From August 28 through August 31, volunteers filled Hy-Vee Hall for the 2013 Mealsfrom the Heartland Annual Hunger Fight. The meals packaged by the organization are provided to malnourished and food insecure people internationally as well as locally bymeal distribution partners like Convoy of Hope, DMARC, and Food Bank of Iowa.

Highlights of the event:

On the opening night of the event, more than 1,100 Central Iowa high school students packaged 469,000 meals during the “DuPont Pioneer Student Challenge,” sponsored by DuPont Pioneer.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey stopped by the event Wednesday to congratulate and encourage volunteers.

Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt  Gov. Kim Reynolds stopped by the event on Friday to address the volunteers and give the hourly meal count.

Meals from the Heartland has evolved into a year-round effort with Mobile Hunger Fight opportunities available outside of the annual event.

For more information about Meals from the Heartland or to donate, please visit www.mealsfromtheheartland.org.