posted on Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Day two and we're well on our way to Haul Out Hunger in north central Iowa! Our first stops this morning were just a hop, skip and a jump away from our main office in Iowa Falls.
"The kids love how delicious these loins are," said Doreen Jessen, one of the dedicated employees at Riverbend Childcare. "We are a nonprofit, so any donation helps but these are extra special since they're so tasty and more importantly, packed full of nutritients for the kids."
As many know, pork is rich in nutrients that are imperative to both the physical and cognitive development of children. A 3-ounce serving of pork is an excellent source of protein, potassium and zinc, just to name a few.
"Most of the children at Riverbend Childcare are pre-school age and rely on the center for breakfast, lunch and two snacks per day," explained Doreen. "We take a lot of pride in making sure that they are well-fed."
After stocking the kitchen at Riverbend Childcare, our team headed up to the Ruth Project, which is housed inside the Open Bible Church.
"We are a full-service pantry," said Maryls Williams. "We serve anywhere from 400-600 families a month and they can put together food bundles according to the size of their household. Meat is so hard to come by these days and it is desperately needed by these families. This just makes us want to scream, "Hallelujah!""
To help us unload 1,200 pounds of pork, the Ruth Project had one of the fanciest contraptions we've ever seen and boy, did it sure make our job easy! "Sliding this box on rollers is a lot easier than carrying it down several flights of stairs," laughed one of our gilt production interns, Jacob Stratton. "These boxes weigh anywhere from 60-70 pounds so we appreciate any help we can get."
On our last stop in Iowa Falls we met up with Marian Gehrls of the Lions Club. While they didn't necessarily have the freezer space for 156 loins, Jones Appliance stepped in to save the day and offered to store the loins for the club. "We so appreciate how accommodating they are to us and also for Iowa Select to make such a generous donation," said Marian. "With this donation, we are going to feed so many families in Hardin County."
We've got our sights set on 22 more food pantries, banks and shelves and plan on heading home with a semi that's about 1,200 pounds lighter than yesterday. Let's Haul Out Hunger together! #HaulOutHunger #billionplus
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