Meals From The Heartland Kick Off Feeds 12,528

Des Moines, Iowa – In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Drake University hosted a kick-off packaging event for Meals from the Heartland on Monday, Jan. 19. A group of approximately 50 people, made up mostly of Drake athletes and the Wells Fargo Diversity Group, gathered at the Drake Knapp Center to package 12,528 meals in one hour for Iowa’s homeless.

“We are excited to both kick off our 2009 Meals from the Heartland campaign and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with our partners from Drake Athletics,”  said Mark Aeilts, Meals from the Heartland spokesperson and board chair. “We welcome all Iowan’s, businesses, schools, churches and organizations to join us in our fight against hunger and look forward to a successful 2009.”

The event kicked off the Meals from the Heartland 2009 effort, which includes a week-long packaging event in September, with the goal of producing at least 4 million meals to be shipped and provided to the hungry around the world. The organization’s 2008 effort resulted with more than 12,000 Iowa volunteers packaging more than 4 million meals. The meals were delivered to the hungry in Haiti.

The pre-packaged meals consist of rice, soy, flour, dried vegetables and a vitamin tablet. Each package feeds a family of six and costs $.25 to produce.

Organizers for Meals from the Heartland are trying to raise awareness for the cause and the need for donations and volunteers. For more information on the effort, visit www.mealsfromtheheartland.org or call (515) 422-9133.