Fareway Stores Inc. and the Iowa Farm Bureau partnered together to donate 26,950 pounds of ground protein to food banks across Iowa in the “Meat the Need” campaign.
From Sept. 16-21, Fareway donates one pound of lean protein to local food bank for every 10-pound tube of ground beef sold through its partnership with the Iowa Food Bank Association and the Food Bank of Iowa. The donation to Meat the Need was presented Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the Food Bank of Iowa in Des Moines.
Fareway Stores Inc. President Garrett Piklapp, Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson, and Food Bank of Iowa CEO Michelle Book addressed the need for local food donations, food insecurity challenges, and the important partnerships through the ‘Meat the Need’ campaign.
“Food insecurity is something we take seriously, and we understand it requires a collective group of partners to address the growing number of Iowans who need access to quality meat products,” Mr. Piklapp said. “Thank you to our generous customers for participating, Iowa stores and meat markets, and our partners at Iowa Farm Bureau for helping secure lean protein for local food banks going into the holiday seasons.”
Fareway is a growing Midwest grocery company. It currently operates 140 stores in a seven-state region. Quad Cities locations are in Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline and LeClaire. The family-owned business is recognized as a top 10 employer in Iowa, and has more than 13,000 total employees.
Proud to ‘Meat the Need’
Speaking for Iowa’s farmers, Mr. Johnson said “We take tremendous pride in growing and raising the food that sustains our communities. Food insecurity is a harsh reality of the challenging times many families currently face, so Iowa Farm Bureau is proud to join Fareway again to help ‘Meat the Need’ by providing lean, high-protein ground meat to our neighbors in need across the state.”
The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is the largest statewide, grassroots farm organization in Iowa. It is celebrating more than 100 years of creating a vibrant future for agriculture, farm families and communities. The Food Bank of Iowa was created in 1982. It provides nutritious food to children, families and seniors. It serves 55 of Iowa’s 99 counties. The food bank delivers 25 million+ pounds of food (21 million meals) to 700 partners annually.
