A Thank You For Our 2009 Volunteers
September 18, 2009 by Meals from the Heartland
Filed under Blog, MftH 2009 News
Thank you for your help over Labor Day weekend in volunteering for Meals from the Heartland! What an awesome experience for the MftH Team, and we hope for you, too!
Although Meals from the Heartland may be a once-a-year humanitarian effort, the fight against hunger goes on every day and the planning for next year has already started. We hope you won’t mind if we send an occasional email (once or so a month) to share stories of the delivery of the food you helped package, dates and plans for next year, and other information.
Since Meals from the Heartland, we have received many emails and questions ranging from meal count to lost & found, and wanted to provide this email to help answer some of the most frequently asked…
1) What was the final Meals from the Heartland meal count?
You helped us reach 4,019,094 meals packaged!
2) When will Meals from the Heartland take place next year?
Dates for next year will depend upon space available. We are extremely blessed to have Hy-Vee Hall donated for Meals from the Heartland. Although we hope next year’s dates are approximately the same as this year, we will communicate next year’s date via email and post it on the Meals from the Heartland website once dates are set.
3) Can I designate my United Way gift to Meals from the Heartland?
Yes, Meals from the Heartland is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that meets the criteria of the United Way to receive designated contributions. You may designate all or part of your United Way contribution to MftH… the information that you may need is as follows:
Organization name: Meals from the Heartland
Address: PO Box 71606, Clive, IA 50325
Employer ID #: 26-3443290
Should you have questions or need help, please contact MftH at contributions@mealsfromtheheartland.org
4) How can I become more involved with Meals from the Heartland?
Please send an email to volunteer@mealsfromtheheartland.org and express your interest.
Also, we will be sending separately a brief survey that we hope you will consider completing. We are very interested in your feedback and ideas on how we can make this even more successful next year.
5) Have the meals been shipped and received that were packaged at Meals from the Heartland?
Most of the 14 containers of food you helped package have been shipped and are on their way (one container holds approximately 285,000 meals)! One or more full containers of food are going to: Blessman Ministries, South Africa; Cornerstone of Hope, Nigeria; Food for the Poor, Haiti; Lifeline Christian Ministries, Jamaica; and Project Elijah, Israel. Smaller quantities are being distributed to other locations and for domestic use. We will include the status of delivery of the food in future newsletters or updates, as well as reporting to you the impact the food is making.
6) How can I access the photo(s) taken of my team by Iowa Telecom?
Please go to http://photoop.iowatelecom.net/meals09/ to access photos taken by Iowa Telecom.
7) Did you raise all of the money need ed for 2009?
Thanks to your support, we raised all of the funding necessary to fully fund the packaging of 4 million meals. All that is needed is funding for the distribution costs for only two of the fourteen containers… one scheduled for Nigeria and the other to South Africa. Additional contributions will be sought to cover these expenses for Cornerstone of Hope Orphanage in Nigeria and Blessman Ministries in South Africa.
8) How may I order additional MftH T-shirts & Gear?
You have two options to order additional MftH t-shirts & gear:
Contact Fine Designs Imprinted Sportswear, Inc.
Office: 515.986.1848 or Email: mjanssen@finedesignsinc.com
If you would like to purchase one of the 2009 orange volunteer shirts, the cost is $12.50 each (including shipping), and may be purchased by sending a check to:
Meals from the Heartland, PO Box 71606, Clive, IA 50325. Please be sure to include your mailing address, email and t-shirt size(s), and we will ship directly to you.
9) Was there anything that was turned into “Lost & Found”?
Among the items turned in to Lost & Found include: three pairs of sunglasses, a child’s shoe, and a white polo shirt with an “Admiral” logo embroidered. If you are the owner, or know who the owner might be of any of these items, please contact us at: lost&found@mealsfromtheheartland.org
Again, on behalf of the Meals from the Heartland Team, we want to thank you for your prayers, volunteer service, and financial gifts that made it possible to help so many impoverished people in the world. We do also hope that you will consider becoming involved again next year.
Blessings,
The Meals from the Heartland Team
“Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” Isaiah 58:10
Mailing Address:
Meals from the Heartland P.O. Box 71606
Clive, IA 50325
US
Contact: contact@MealsFromTheHeartland.org
Telephone Number: 877-457-6384
Helping Those in Need
September 7, 2009 by Meals from the Heartland
Filed under Blog, MftH 2009 News
Our hearts are hurting for the people of Haiti. The earthquake and aftershocks have created devastation beyond our imagination. The loss of life is staggering, thousands remain unaccounted for, and hundreds of thousands need medical care, water and food. How can you help?
Joining Together
September 6, 2009 by Meals from the Heartland
Filed under Blog, MftH 2009 News
Please consider giving to Meals from the Heartland through your donations of money or time. Join us as we come together to provide Help for Haiti.
What Can We Do?
September 5, 2009 by Meals from the Heartland
Filed under Blog, MftH 2009 News
What can you do…to provide Help for Haiti? Please help us provide meals to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.
Volunteer Efforts
September 4, 2009 by Meals from the Heartland
Filed under Blog, MftH 2009 News
Each year meals packaged by thousands of volunteers are sent to the world’s most starving countries. Currently, Meals from the Heartland is devoting all packaged meals to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.
Meals from the Heartland – 2009
September 3, 2009 by Meals from the Heartland
Filed under Blog, MftH 2009 News
During the 2009 packaging event, volunteers packaged more than 4 million meals, a portion of which were sent to Haiti. Those meals are currently being used to help feed those affected by the earthquake.
Mark Aeilts wins $50,000 Volunteer Service Award for meals project
July 14, 2009 by Meals from the Heartland
Filed under Blog, MftH 2009 News
A Wells Fargo Financial team member, Mark Aeilts, has been named recipient of the top 2009 Wells Fargo Volunteer Service Award, earning $50,000 for Meals From The Heartland, the largest humanitarian food packaging event in the U.S. 
Aeilts, who is senior vice president of WFF Retail Services, Des Moines, is the current chair of Meals From The Heartland, which drew more than 12,000 volunteers in 2008 who packaged 4 million meals for distribution to impoverished residents of Haiti and other countries in Central America
The award, which recognizes Aeilts’ service to the organization, was announced by Wells Fargo & Company Senior EVP Mark Oman at a surprise reception Tuesday morning in Des Moines. Representing Meals From The Heartland was a board member, the Rev. Pat Quaid, teaching pastor of Lutheran Church of Hope, which conceived the project.
Each year, Wells Fargo’s Volunteer Service Award program honors team member volunteers by awarding $300,000 to nonprofit organizations for which they volunteer through one $50,000 award, 10 awards of $10,000 each and 150 awards of $1,000. Recipients of the $10,000 and $1,000 awards are still being informed and will be announced later in the summer.
Aeilts was nominated for the award by Jeremy Erickson, a member of the Retailer Collections team. Jeremy wrote, “Mark participated in similar, yet smaller activities in 2006 and 2007. By participating he saw the opportunity to leverage Iowans’ talents and the resources within Iowa to provide significant impact for those in need.. . Mark has inspired the leaders and volunteers of this effort by his passion to help others in need and leading the group by his own example.”
After the 2008 packaging event, Aeilts visited Haiti to assist in food distribution. He also has spoken about the project to numerous organizations in Iowa and Meals From The Heartland was recognized at the 2008 World Food Summit in Des Moines.
The 2008 project also provided 12,000 pounds of perishable food items to the Central Iowa Food Bank and 12,000 school supply items to students in Iowa communities impacted by flooding and tornadoes. The 2009 packaging event is scheduled Sept. 3-7 in HyVee Hall at the Iowa Events Center.
Meals from the Heartland Opens Pre-Registration!
May 5, 2009 by Meals from the Heartland
Filed under Blog, MftH 2009 News
We’d like to announce the opening of the Meals from the Heartland PRE-REGISTRATION for Iowans interested in helping to package meals during our big event September 3rd through the 7th at Hy-Vee Hall.
If you Pre-register, you can:
• Set up your own volunteer/donation page
• Build teams and collect donations
• Secure a volunteer spot, which means PRIORITY in choosing date/time of volunteer space when full registration opens (later this summer).
To Pre-register:
• Click on the “Volunteer” link in the menu above
• Follow the steps from there…
EASY!
In order to guarantee the success of this event, we hope you’ll help us grow the Meals from the Heartland Community. We encourage you to invite family, friends, and all those you know to share in this exciting experience!
We look forward to seeing you there!
The Meals from the Heartland Team
Meals From The Heartland Kick Off Feeds 12,528
January 20, 2009 by Meals from the Heartland
Filed under MftH 2009 News
Over 12,000 meals packaged during the MLKing Day launch event
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.
Meals From The Heartland MLK Day Kick-Off
January 19, 2009 by Meals from the Heartland
Filed under MftH 2009 News
For immediate release – January 19, 2009
What: In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Meals from the Heartland and Drake University are hosting a kick-off
The 2009 Drake men's basketball team showed up for the event and helped us package in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
event for the 2009 food packaging effort. Drake athletes and Wells Fargo Diversity Group employees will package food to be provided to those in need in central Iowa.
Who: Meals from the Heartland, Drake University and Wells Fargo employees.
Where: Drake Knapp Center
When: Monday, January 19, 2009
10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Welcome/Videos
10:20 a.m. – 10:25 a.m. MLK Day/2009 Overview
10:25-10:30 2009 Dates and Goals
10:30-Noon Meal Packaging
Why: In September 2008, more than 12,000 Meals from the Heartland volunteers packaged 4 million meals that were shipped and delivered to starving Haitians. The effort resulted in a groundswell of Iowa pride, not only among the thousands of Iowans who volunteered for the event, but also in the hearts and minds of people nationally and internationally who became aware of the effort. Meals from the Heartland will be holding the same event in September 2009, with the goal of meeting or exceeding 4 million meals. The partnership with Drake to help kick-off the year is a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘what are you doing for others?’”
