posted on Thursday, December 30, 2021
Kudos to the Charles City FFA chapter for knocking their Ignite the Spirit opportunity out of the park!
The FFA chapter was one of almost 50 student-based organizations participating in the Ignite the Spirit program offered by Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation.
This group of Charles City FFA students helped prepare and serve a free smoked pork loin meal to anyone who wanted one for lunch on Christmas Eve. Meals were served at the Youth Enrichment Center at the Floyd County Fairgrounds, as we as delivered to area communities and to homes in Charles City. The meal was put together in cooperation with the Jordan River Food Pantry and the Floyd County ISU Extension Office for those who may not have the means to have a nice holiday meal or who may not have anyone to share a meal with. The effort served over 200 people.
Ignite the Spirit is an extension of the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation’s Operation Christmas Meal program and is aimed at increasing awareness of hunger locally and igniting the spirit of service by giving local student groups the tools—pork!—to help even more families during the holiday season.
As part of the program, FFA chapters and 4-H clubs also receive event kits with aprons along with a check for $250 to purchase additional food for the meal.